Mirror of Beyond
by SiriusReborn
Summary: The Sand Village unearths something it was never supposed to find, and a simple inspection rips Gaara from reality as he knows it. Everyone he once knew is now dramatically different, and he must find a way to make it all right. NejiGaa,Uchihacest,Noncon
1. Chapter 1

**Mirror of Beyond: part I: Sand**

The young blonde woman tapped on the door to the Kazekage's office. As the head of the Sand Village, the Kazekage was always very busy and usually very tired. She could just walk in, but she always liked to knock to make sure he wasn't seeing someone important, or so she could give him time to quickly get back to work if he was staring into space. He was only a teenager, after all. One of the youngest leaders of the shinobi villages.

Her tapping received no response, though she knew he was in. She slowly opened the door and stepped inside. He was sitting at his desk, his head lowered, his reddish-brown hair shining in the light of the sun as it poured in through the ceiling windows. Paperwork was scattered all over his desk.

Grinning, she walked over quickly and stood behind him. She started to rub his shoulders and he awoke with a start.

"Sleeping on the job, Gaara?" she asked.

He tilted his head back and looked up at her grinning face as she gave him a shoulder rub. He looked a little confused after waking up so fast, but quickly grasped the situation when he saw the paperwork waiting for him. He sighed deeply.

Suddenly the door opened again and another young man walked in. He was slightly older than Gaara, with the same hair and a bulkier build. Unlike Gaara, who was dressed in his blue Kazekage robes, this young man wore simple jeans and a casual shirt.

"Temari," he said as he walked in. "Stop spoiling him or he won't get any work done."

Temari ruffled Gaara's hair. "Don't worry, Kankurou," she grinned. "I love both of my little brothers. I'll come tease you just like I tease him."

"Hmph," Kankurou smirked. "You're both slackers. I came to tell Gaara about the excavation site."

Gaara looked up with interest. The villagers had found something not far from the village, and eager explorers from the village were there everyday trying to figure out what it was.

"There are seals all over the place out there," Kankurou said. "Seals, wards, traps, everything. Old Baki called for the teams to stop working for now. There is definitely something there that we weren't supposed to find."

"But it's so close to the village that we have to figure out what it is," Temari insisted. "It could be dangerous."

"I think it's more than dangerous," Kankurou said. "There are inscriptions in the area too. Ancient ones. And we can't even make out half of the seals. But there appears to be a very strict seal structure at the site. Baki says it's the type that you'd find if you wanted to seal something really big and really dangerous… like a demon, or worse."

Gaara glanced from the paperwork to Kankurou and back again. The choice was obvious there. He quickly stood up and went to his brother. Temari followed and together they made a trip out into the desert.

It was actually very relaxing. Kankurou had dressed for battle before they left the village, and Temari had equipped her fan. It was all a safety precaution, but they didn't speak to each other as though it were time for fighting. The walk was easy and pleasant, because no matter where they walked, Gaara made it so the sand didn't bother them or shift under their feet or blow in their faces.

It was a very long walk, and they finally got around to sprinting there, their chakra allowing them to move at lightning speed. All the while, Temari teased her little brothers endlessly, and mentioned to Gaara that even he was working too hard lately. Kankurou then proceeded to tease Temari about a certain lazy young man from the village of Konoha in the Fire Country, which sent her into a fit of rebuttals.

Gaara was smiling on the inside the whole time. Sometimes he didn't know if he was smiling on the outside. He wanted to, but sometimes he wasn't sure he was doing it. Or he just wasn't sure anyone else could see it. He tried to smile in the mirror, and sometimes it worked. But often when he crossed his reflection there was no emotion there no matter what he was feeling.

He started to wonder when his body had forsaken emotions. Perhaps it was because the demon that used to live inside of him took advantage of emotions. But Shukaku was gone now, and Gaara was happy to learn to live without him. No more feeling unstable, no more pain, no more nightmares, no more overactive armor of sand covering his body when he didn't want it to. And learning to live without the sand being so strong was one of the best parts. Showers never felt so good. He could turn the water temperature up as high or low as he wanted, and his body adjusted to the heat or cold rather than trying to wrap a shield of sand around him. And the sunlight, that was nice too. He could get a sunburn and enjoy the pain when he focused on keeping the sand from his skin. When Shukaku was around, Gaara hardly ever felt physical pain, and now he was testing his body, seeing how much he could endure. It was exhilarating. It was true the sand shield was still very subconscious and ingrained and quick to react, but it didn't overprotect him now. Gaara was very slowly learning to keep the sand from protecting him when he didn't need it, though the process was very tiring. He felt a kind of freedom he had never known.

"There it is," Kankurou pointed. "See, everyone is keeping their distance."

When Gaara arrived at the site, he had to hold his hand up to signal that people should keep working or resting. Almost everyone was ready to bow or stand or show their respects. Growing up, Gaara had gained respect because people feared him. He wanted to rid himself and those around him of this feeling. At his signal, everyone resumed what they were doing, and he quietly made his way around the site.

In the center, there was a large crater where his people had been digging. With a wave of his hand the sand beneath his feet shifted and then rose into the air. He was now standing on a large, thick slab of sand, and with his chakra he controlled it so that he could hover directly over the pit. When he looked down he could see what looked like a giant stone door with seals and wards all over it.

"Do not wake the dreamer," Gaara read softly. That is what the large characters said on the massive door. The language was very ancient, and he wasn't sure that everyone below him could read it. In fact, he wasn't sure that they could see the characters from the ground. "The dreamer keeps his resting place to maintain all of time and space. The dreams of nine, they come to him and come together at his whim. If one you bring, don't still his breath, because inside is… the same as death…."

"What do you see?" Temari called up to him.

"An inscription," Gaara called down to her. "Could anyone see it from the ground?"

"No, Lord Gaara, nothing," a few men called up to him.

Gaara looked at the large door again. It must have taken ages to make a door so large and heavy that opened to the ground. When the object was first found, Gaara made a point not to use his power because it might damage whatever people were digging. But now he didn't see the harm in it. As if reading his mind, Kankurou and Temari had the many teams move back a good distance.

Gaara focused his chakra and started to push the remaining sand from the door while remaining in the air. Obeying his will, the sand moved away as easily as liquid until the entire door was exposed. And there was more to the inscription now.

"This door is sealed and opens not, but unlocks on this very spot. If one you bring, his chakra give, so he may die, and you may live." Gaara blinked as she stared down at it. "…His chakra… give?" Finding the words eerie, he stopped channeling his chakra through the sand.

"Gaara!" Temari yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran towards the crater. She was pointing below him. He slowly looked over the edge of the block of sand he was standing on, and there, from directly beneath him, came long, snake-like streams of pure white energy. This odd chakra was coming from the door… shooting straight through it to get to Gaara. He felt as if he were being pulled backwards and realized that something had caught his sand gourd. It would have been risky outside of the desert, but since he was surrounded by sand he could take the risk of being without it. He swiftly undid the straps to the large gourd and it was ripped from his body before he could be pulled down by the energy. He heard the gourd hit the surface of the stone door below.

Quickly he brought the block of sand to the ground and stepped onto the land again, narrowly avoiding the energy that was now writhing in the air as if looking for him in the spot he was just hovering.

"Everyone back to the village," Gaara said.

People quickly obeyed and started to move away from the site. There were many, of course, who would not leave until he did, so he started to back away slowly, watching the streams of energy while still moving away. After a few moments, the unique chakra slowly descended back into the pit.

"Let's go, Gaara," Temari whispered. "We'll have people check it out when it's more… docile here."

Gaara nodded and turned to leave, but his siblings saw his eyes widen in shock. He looked down to see a tendril of bright white chakra energy protruding from the ground, wrapped around his ankle. Before anyone could react he was yanked back towards the crater with great force. He fell on his back hard and was pulled with great speed towards the pit. By now dozens of people were running towards him, trying to free him.

"Stay back!" he yelled to them, and with his power a wall of sand shot up between him and the villagers. But he hardly had the concentration to keep it solid as he was suddenly surrounded by the snaking energy, streams of it surrounding his body and drawing him to the door.

Temari, Kankurou, and the others who followed reached him before he was pulled into the massive pit, and Temari dived forward to the ground and grabbed his hands. Others made it too him and wrapped their arms around his body, trying to hold him as Kankurou and several others attempted to destroy the streams of chakra with seals and kunai and whatever they could find. To find chakra this solid and material was nearly unheard of.

Gaara felt the pressure as the energy gripped tighter, nearly crushing him. And as though they were all nothing but rag dolls, Gaara and everyone around him was suddenly pulled forward toward the pit again.

"Let go!" Gaara ordered.

"Gaara, we can't just let you--" Kankurou began, but he was cut off when he was knocked back several feet by a wave of energy.

And then the world was spinning as Gaara, Temari, and everyone else who refused to let go were pulled into the pit. They all felt as though they were ripped from each other, and everyone except Gaara hit the stone door with great force. Gaara was held midair, directly above the door. He tried in vain to use his chakra to manipulate the earth around him, but he felt as though his energy was being drained. All he could do was struggle. He knew this thing wanted him, and he wasn't going to make it easy.

Below him he could see people's jutsu failing them. Unlike him, their chakra was working for them normally, but no technique could rid him of the snaking chakra.

The door started to glow, the incantations burning with white light.

"One of nine you bring," roared a voice in the ancient tongue from under the massive door. The voice echoed loudly throughout the area. "One of nine, to know darkness for an eternity!"

Gaara heard his people scream as the tendrils of energy wrapped around him and cut off his air. They could only watch as he was pulled with lightning speed straight through the surface of the door as if it weren't there at all. But when they ran to that spot, it was solid. The white chakra was gone, and the incantations were no longer aglow. It was as if nothing had happened.

Except Gaara was gone.

* * *

He woke up with a start, his head aching and his body feeling heavy. It had been a long time since he had such a vivid nightmare. Gaara groaned and tried to roll over in his bed. But there was no soft bedding there… only the roughness of sand. He sighed deeply and sat up, dreading what he'd see. Sand all around him. He was in the desert, but the door wasn't there. There were no teams digging and exploring. What had happened? 

He stood up and dusted himself off. He realized his robes were shredded and torn, and he knew that what he had experienced was not a dream. He shed himself of the blue robes, his blood red shinobi outfit underneath. A little dizzy, he willed the sand to lift him into the air so he could look around, but he didn't have the chakra to do it. Sighing again, he started to walk towards his village, feeling slightly naked without his sand gourd with him.

It seemed as though hours passed, and at the pace he was going, they probably did. He started to see familiar landmarks that only someone from this village could recognize. An oasis, certain trees, the presence of certain wildlife… Gaara was close to home. He made his way over some large sand dunes and was ready to see his beloved village shimmering there.

He stood at the top of the last dune and stared forward. Then he felt himself walking faster toward the village. Towards those stone pillars and sandy walls. He started to run. Everything… broken… crumbling to dust…. He was sprinting there as fast as his body would allow. In a panic, he burst through the deserted front gates and nearly collapsed to his knees at what he saw inside.

Broken, torn, destroyed… his village was gone. Deserted and in ruins. He dashed forward towards the Kazekage building, his building. He looked for Temari and Kankurou. But there was nothing! Skeletons… masses of them…. Skeletons and ashes….

He put his hand to his forehead slowly and shut his eyes. No, don't panic. This was all nonsense. None of it made any sense. He had to stay calm.

Slowly he composed himself and took a deep breath. He entered the Kazekage study and looked up. So, his picture wasn't there. He wasn't leader here… wherever here was. He refused to believe his village was gone. Something had happened at that door in the desert. He tried to think of the incantations again. Time and space… dreamer… death… there were too many possibilities. A little frustrated, he took a deep breath and left the building, then the village. He started to walk out into the desert again, his body feeling weak. He had to find the door again. He had to get back through.

"Halt!" someone yelled to him not far from the village. "State your name!"

Gaara turned slowly, but didn't respond. He was a little shocked to see someone in this nonsense world.

"Your name!" the man said again, his voice very familiar.

Gaara took a good look. The person was wearing robes and cloth over his face to protect himself from the sand, but he knew who it was. From Konoha in the Fire Country, it was Naruto's sensei, Kakashi.

"Gaara," he replied, making sure not to mention his origin. He waited for Kakashi to recognize him, but when he didn't, Gaara offered no more information.

"Weird choice of tattoo ya got there, Gaara," another man said, walking up from behind Kakashi.

"It's suspicious that you're out here," Kakashi said. "Surely you realize that. You, standing here, in front of a fallen village in the middle of no where."

"Which village sent you?" a woman asked. She had just made her way over a sand dune behind him.

"No one sent me," Gaara said. "I was taken prisoner and left here to die." It was the safest lie he could think of. Gaara made a point never to lie, but he needed more information about what was going on. He held his head, which was really throbbing now.

"Where are you from?" Kakashi asked.

"My village was destroyed," Gaara replied. "I have no home." He felt so weak. So tired.

"I knew it…" the second man said. "Sorry to tell you, but the Wind Country has been completely destroyed. The remaining towns were wiped out weeks ago. We've been finding hostages like you wandering aimlessly in the desert for weeks now."

Gaara started to sink to the ground, and he felt someone catch him.

"Let's take him with us," the woman said as she held him. "We can't leave him here, and we need to get going."

"I don't trust him yet," Kakashi said.

"You never trust anyone," the other man said. "Let's just take him and go. Not like he stands a chance if he wants to try anything. We can interrogate later. It's too damn hot out here."

"For once, Obito is right," the woman said.

Their words became muffled and mixed, and soon Gaara slipped into a dreamless sleep. Occasionally he would slip into reality again, and felt himself being carried swiftly though the land until the desert was a memory.

* * *

It was a three day trip to Konoha, and with everyday that had passed, Gaara felt more and more uneasy. The third day was almost unbearable. He realized that time was passing normally, and this place, no matter how different, really was real. There was no trick to it. The details, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the people… all of them were real. But the air tasted bitter with tension, and everything felt wrong. 

He was glad to see Konoha's gates. By this time he was walking and running on his own. Obito and the woman, Rin, had taken a liking to him, believing that he really was from a small village that was destroyed in the war that was tearing the countries apart. Kakashi, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to get close to anyone. He was much different from the Kakashi Gaara knew. The Kakashi who had helped to save him from the Akatsuki. That Kakashi was warm and kind and relaxed. This Kakashi was cold and hardened and tense. (Also, this Kakashi didn't have Sharingan in one eye.) But as far as Rin and Obito were concerned, Gaara had provided enough plausible information about his village and people for them to trust him. Little did they know that he knew so much because he made a habit of getting to know the country he had such a huge influence over because he led its shinobi.

Obito also joked that his body wasn't fit for a ninja position. Gaara knew he was short, but Obito didn't have to go that far…. Rin thought he was "adorable," so that made up for it. A little.

They took Gaara to be checked for records, to be identified and filed, to be placed into Konoha's care. Gaara was a little surprised to find that there was absolutely no record of him anywhere. All ninja levels were checked, and there was nothing about him. So… he had no counterpart that anyone knew of here. Considering how he might have turned out under different circumstances, this comforted him.

It wasn't until this long process was over that Gaara took a good long look at Konoha the moment he stepped outside with Obito. The Leaf Village, once so beautiful and lively, looked positively dreary and still. It was almost uncomfortable to be there. Storm clouds rolled in above them and blew the leaves from the dying trees. The people in the streets seemed overworked and stressed. Gaara could hardly bare this, though as usual, his expression remained the same.

"Let's go," Obito said with a smile. "We've got housing for people like you."

Gaara followed as Obito led the way through the cold, desolate streets.

"Very quiet…" Gaara mentioned.

"Yeah…" Obito said. "The war, the work, the lack of rest… people are tired."

Gaara said nothing, but continued to follow. He wondered which villages had started the war, and what caused his to be so utterly obliterated. He continued to look around as he thought, his eyes wandering until they hit something that made him freeze in place, his heart sinking. His eyes had .landed on the mountain with the faces of the village leaders, the Hokages, carved into the stone. The first three were as he remembered. But the forth face seemed to glare down at him from the mountain side, taunting him with darkness and superiority.

"Orochimaru…" Gaara said softly. "Your current Hokage is Orochimaru…?"

"Hm?" Obito blinked as he looked up at the mountain. "Oh, yeah. That's him."

The way Obito said it Gaara knew instantly that he wasn't pleased, and he knew that the village was so eerie because Orochimaru was the head.

"So anyway," Obito said, changing the subject as he ran his fingers through his short black hair. "I'm going to take you to your new place."

"I'm sorry to trouble you," Gaara said.

"It's no trouble!" Obito smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "I don't mean to sound morbid, but of all the people slaughtered in your country, we found very few of them. And you're the only one unharmed. It's not like we're taking in masses of people here. I'm glad you're okay. And I'll be around if you need me. Ask for Uchiha Obito."

Gaara stopped walking and looked at him. He realized that he hadn't heard Obito's family name until now.

"…Uchiha?" Gaara said. "The clan with Sharingan?"

"You've heard of us?" Obito smiled proudly. "Yeah, that's us alright!"

Gaara started to walk with him again in mild shock. The Uchiha clan had been slaughtered in his world. To know they were all alive was… fascinating. He wanted to ask about Sasuke, but thought that might seem suspicious.

"Charity work again?" a deep voice asked.

Obito and Gaara turned to see a young man leaning against a wall. Long black hair in a ponytail, emotionless black eyes. The one who slaughtered them all… Uchiha Itachi.

"Hey Itachi!" Obito said. "Yeah, we found one, and in good health for once! Oh, and while you're here, could you send Sasuke to Gaara's place?" he asked, pointing to Gaara. "Kid needs some people his age."

Gaara was beginning to wonder how old he looked… but decided that it was alright if Obito was able to realize that he and Sasuke were in the same age group.

"I will send him," Itachi said, taking the address after Obito copied it down. He left soon after, looking as emotionless as ever.

"He looks cold," Obito said, "but he's a really nice guy."

Gaara didn't know whether to smile or look horrified.

They continued walking until they reached a tall building that held many apartments. They didn't look big, but that didn't matter to Gaara. He wouldn't be staying long anyway. He would collect more information and then go back home. It was as simple as that.

"I've gotta go now," Obito said, ruffling Gaara's hair like a brother. "I'm later than I thought I was. Kakashi never buys my excuses. Anyway, make yourself comfortable, and hopefully Sasuke… that's Itachi's brother… will be by soon."

"Thank you," Gaara said with a nod. "I really appreciate this."

"Not a problem," Obito said with a smile before he turned and left.

Gaara watched him go, then closed the door and sat down in the nearest chair, thinking. He was seeing people from his world, yet their lives were completely different. Vastly different. And time was passing at normal speed, to his knowledge. There were no distortions in anything he saw. No abnormalities regarding his surroundings. Even if he got back through the door, there was still the unsettling question as to what exactly this place was.

He sat thinking for what seemed like an hour. But his thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking at his door. He remembered that Sasuke might be coming by, and he opened the door slowly.

"Hi!" said the cheerful young man behind the door. "I'm Sasuke! Obito told my brother to tell me to come see you!"

Gaara's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, but he kept his composure. He was almost positive that nothing he would see any time after this would shock him as much as this bizarre Sasuke. It wasn't as though the person himself was bizarre, but to see someone who looked like the Sasuke he knew, with added smiles and bright clothing, was incredibly strange to him. His mind didn't want to process it. That darkness that always surrounded Sasuke was gone, and with it, his powerful presence.

Gaara numbly moved out of the doorway. "Please come in," he said.

Sasuke smiled brightly and walked in. He still had the same spiky black hair and black eyes. But his T-shirt was bright orange and he wore jeans. The smile on his face would have been infectious if Gaara had been anyone else.

"You probably don't have anything," Sasuke said, looking around, his eyes shining. "We should get you some clothes, food, and anything else you need."

"That would be nice," Gaara said. "Thank you." He realized he was staring longer than he should. But it all made sense. With Itachi here and the Uchiha clan alive, Sasuke had never traveled the bitter path to revenge. He hadn't been hardened by life.

When the two went out to get Gaara what he needed, Gaara couldn't help but envy him.

* * *

A few days passed. Everything was like a blur. Obito and Sasuke came to check on Gaara, finding him stoic as ever. Gaara was anxious to get back, but just as anxious to figure out what was going on in this world. He would stay longer and gain stronger friendships, then he would use the resources of Konoha to see if there was any information regarding the door. 

He stood on the grass of a hillside one night, thinking of the possibilities. He was wearing a blood red T-shirt and jeans, much like Sasuke, but much less bright. It felt a little odd to go so casual, but here he was neither Kazekage nor a ninja of any kind.

It was very late and very quiet. His body was used to being up at night, and since he could sleep without horrible nightmares now, the night seemed very beautiful and he didn't mind staying up.

Suddenly a sharp cry hit the air but was silenced as quickly as it came. Gaara knew better than to create a lot of movement and draw attention to himself. He stood where he was and scanned the area, only moving his eyes. The night was very dark, but he saw something down by the trees, just before the forest began. He thought he could make out a familiar hint of bright color in the darkness. He strained his eyes a little more just as some moonlight was released from the clouds above. He was nearly sure of it now. Sasuke was down there. Curiously, he started to move down the hill to get to him.

He was still very far, but as he moved closer he realized that Sasuke wasn't alone. And then he felt a chill down his spine, and his insides felt heavy with dread, though he wasn't sure why. As he got closer, the feeling increased.

Suddenly a hand grasped his shoulder from behind. Gaara spun around quickly and found himself staring into a pair of white eyes.

"Don't go down there," the young man said.

Gaara knew him instantly. It couldn't be anyone else. That long, dark hair that fell past his waist, those piercing white eyes… Hyuuga Neji. But Gaara had to pretend not to know him.

"I thought I saw someone I know," Gaara said, looking back down towards Sasuke.

"There is nothing you can do for him now," Neji said. "Besides, they're done."

"Done?" Gaara asked.

Suddenly a white face flashed in the darkness from beside Sasuke, and it was looking straight at Gaara. A feeling of dread coursed through him. Dread and fear. It was Orochimaru.

"What is he doing down there?" Gaara asked, making a move to go down.

Again Neji put a hand on his shoulder. "What do you think you can do against him?" he asked. "Stay up here."

"I thought I heard Sasuke cry out…" Gaara said, looking to Neji.

"Sasuke is Orochimaru's favorite," Neji said. "This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last."

Gaara looked at him for a long while, not understanding. Neji suddenly smirked at him.

"You must not be from around here," he said softly as he glanced over Gaara's shoulder. "Orochimaru knew you were here," Neji added. "He always knows. He just doesn't care because no one can do anything about it. I'm surprised Sasuke can sit anymore."

"I have to help Sasuke if he's hurt," Gaara said.

"Orochimaru is already gone," Neji shrugged. "Do you think Sasuke wants you to go down there and see him like that? Let's give him his last shred of dignity and move away so he doesn't know we know."

Gaara took a good look at Neji again. This Neji wasn't tranquil and kind like the one he knew. The one he knew had a kind ofquiet strength to him. This one was cold, and his white eyes held a large degree of mischief and even cruelty.

"I'm going," Gaara said before he turned away and ran down to Sasuke.

Sasuke was on the ground when he got to him, barely conscious as he lied on his stomach, his cheek pressed against the cold grass. He had vomited on the ground nearby. His shirt was ripped away and his pants were torn.

Gaara quickly knelt next to him and put a hand on his back.

"Sasuke," Gaara whispered. "I'm going to help you."

Sasuke's eyelids fluttered as he made a weak attempted to look up at Gaara. But with no fight in him, he nodded slightly. Gaara pulled Sasuke's pants up and started to help him to stand. He had an arm around Sasuke's waist with Sasuke's arm draped around his shoulder when someone suddenly took Sasuke's other wrist and guided it around his shoulder as well.

"Do you always play hero?" Neji asked as he helped Gaara support Sasuke. "Come on, I'll help you take him home."

* * *

Itachi opened the door and frowned at the three. Sasuke stood between Neji and Gaara, supported by them and looking like he'd been beaten up in a fight. Without saying a word Itachi reached out and took his brother from the two, pulling Sasuke's arm around his shoulder and holding him tightly around the waist. As if sensing his brother's presence, Sasuke seemed just a bit more alive, and he rose his head just slightly. 

"What happened?" Itachi asked finally.

Gaara didn't know what to say. Sasuke looked up at him with desperate eyes and shook his head just barely.

"He messed with this guy," Neji broke in. "Got roughed up pretty bad. Good thing hero-boy was around," he smirked, looking to Gaara.

Gaara was still adjusting to this new Neji. He really liked the other one better. This new Sasuke, on the other hand, was a vast improvement. He also had to assume that this new Itachi was much better than the one in his world for obvious reasons.

"Neji," Itachi said, glaring at the long-haired young man. "Gaara is new here. Try not to drag him down into your troubles with you."

Neji looked to Gaara and a sly smirk crossed his face. Gaara didn't have time to guess the meaning, because Neji turned and left immediately. Gaara looked at Sasuke once more before saying goodnight and heading to his new apartment.

---To Be Continued---

(Hey everyone! Feedback loved!)


	2. Ice

**Mirror of Beyond: part II: Ice**

"Where were you last night!" the young woman demanded. "I needed you here!"

"Forgive me," Neji said softly. "Someone needed my help."

She slapped him hard across the face. So hard that he realized he was looking to the side now, not seeing her angry eyes.

"Look at me!" she yelled.

He slowly turned to look at her.

"You've never cared about anyone but yourself," she hissed. "Tell me what you were doing."

"It's the truth, I swear to you," Neji said. "I was helping someone who was hurt."

She slapped him hard again. "I suggest you start worrying about yourself," she said darkly. She grabbed a great deal of his long hair at the back of his head and pulled him down to her height. "There is no one in your life more important than me," she said lowly. "You are never, never to stay out that long without permission. If you keep disobeying me I will activate that damn seal and kill you on the spot! Am I understood?"

"Yes, Lady Hinata," Neji said, wincing.

"Good," she muttered. "Now, out of my sight. You have things to pick up for me in the village."

To Neji's disgust, she spit in his face before releasing his hair. She pushed him out of the way roughly before going into her room. He waited until her door was closed before wiping his face on his sleeve. Trying to swallow his anger and hatred, he quickly left the Hyuuga main house.

He walked through the streets of the village, hanging his head. He was so used to staring at the ground now that it was second nature to him. And ninja after ninja passed him. He envied them all. They lived their lives with honor and adventure. And he was nothing but a slave. If anything, he wished that he had a forehead protector of his own to hide the green seal on his forehead. But he was not allowed to hide the seal, so instead he hung his head. His beautiful white eyes stared down sorrowfully, and his long, dark hair swayed lightly with every step.

Normally he was good about knowing his surroundings, but today was an exception. He felt himself collide with someone on the street.

"Watch where you're going, asshole," he heard someone growl.

Neji was too angry at Hinata to care about being angry at this person or having angered this person. He looked up to see a young man his age glaring at him. He had his black hair fashioned in an odd bowl cut, and his eyebrows were extremely thick. He wore a green Chinese style shirt and dark pants.

"Well," the young man growled. "Aren't you doing to apologize?"

"Don't bother, Lee," a feminine voice said.

A young woman brushed past Neji. Her hair was done up in two buns and she had pretty brown eyes. She looked somewhat like a doll in her pink Chinese dress.

"He's just trash," she smirked. "Not worth it."

Neji watched them go, his eyes angry. But part of him couldn't blame the way others saw him. Hinata spread so many rumors about him that it made sense that he would be so hated. Since they were young she saw to it that people would seem crazy to befriend him.

Sighing deeply, he turned to walk again and ran into someone else. He looked up furiously to see Gaara standing there. He clenched his fist and took another breath, trying to keep himself from punching Gaara in the face to vent his anger.

"What?" Neji asked coldly.

Gaara glanced past him to see the boy and girl walking off in the distance. "Do you know them?" he asked.

"No," Neji said flatly before walking around Gaara and continuing on his way.

"Really…?" Gaara said, more to himself than to Neji. "How strange." From the sound of his voice, Neji could tell he was following him.

"Why is it strange?" Neji asked, not turning around. "Why the hell would I be friends with them?"

Gaara was silent about this, but Neji didn't press the issue. He really didn't care.

"So… you aren't a ninja?" Gaara asked.

Neji stopped and turned around. "Of course not!" he yelled, as if Gaara had hit a nerve. "Stop following me!"

Gaara looked completely unphased by Neji's yelling. He only stared back at him curiously. Neji was getting more frustrated. And then his frustration turned to rage when he saw Gaara staring at the green seal on his forehead. He glared down at Gaara, who was more than a few inches shorter than he was. He opened his mouth to hurl every curse he knew at the red-haired young man, but stopped and deflated almost immediately when something caught his eye.

"What a stupid symbol to put on your face…" Neji said, reaching up without asking and pushing Gaara's shaggy reddish-brown hair out of the way to reveal the kanji character for 'love' on the left side of his forehead.

"I didn't know what the word meant when I did it," Gaara said.

Neji couldn't be angry anymore. Gaara looked too innocent and nonjudgmental. But at the same time he looked mature and very wise.

"So, raccoon-eyes," Neji said. "What are you wandering around for?"

"Looking for people," Gaara said, looking around.

"Who?"

Gaara glanced back toward the direction Lee and the girl went, then shook his head. "Just some people…."

Neji could tell Gaara was hiding something, but once again, didn't press the issue.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Neji said, coldness returning to his voice.

Gaara continued to follow him from store to store, not saying a word. But he always looked around at everything and everyone. Neji noticed that Gaara was extremely observant and receptive to what was going on around him. But there was something more interesting. Something not quiet normal.

As they walked Gaara had repeatedly attempted to cause himself pain. Not anything life threatening or even self injuring, but still, he wasn't doing things normal people would do. Neji caught him touching sharp things with his fingertips and putting his hand into mousetraps and rubbing his arm against rough walls. Occasionally Neji thought he saw something happening when Gaara did this. He knew it was crazy, but he thought he saw sand appearing in the places Gaara tried to hurt himself. He shook his head and tried to ignore it. But he finally spoke up in the flower shop when Gaara repeatedly started to stab his finger on the thorns of a rose.

"Okay, seriously," Neji said, "What the hell are you doing? Do you have some kind of mental disorder?"

Gaara looked up and shook his head as if answering any old question. Neji thought Gaara was getting progressively more creepy.

Suddenly Gaara stared past Neji to the girl at the register. Neji turned to see her… blonde-haired and blue-eyed, looking back at Gaara nervously. Neji smirked at the situation and walked over to the register to pay for Hinata's flowers. The girl timidly went through the transaction, occasionally looking to Gaara who hadn't stopped staring at her. Chuckling to himself, Neji grabbed Gaara by the arm and pulled him out of the store.

"You know," Neji laughed. "That's not the way to get a girl's attention."

"She looked familiar," Gaara said.

"You want me to go back and introduce you?" Neji smirked.

"No," Gaara said simply.

Neji saw it for a moment. Gaara seemed to be troubled about something. His calm face looked a little hurt.

"Not finding who you're looking for, are you?" Neji asked.

"I am," Gaara said. "But they are all not as I remember them…."

Neji looked at him for a moment before realizing the time. "I have to go now," he said. "Looks like you won't be alone though."

Neji pointed down the road and Gaara looked to see Obito waving to him.

"I'll be seeing you," Neji said as he turned and walked away.

* * *

When Neji returned to the Hyuuga main house he went straight to Hinata's room to drop off her things. She didn't say a word to him or thank him as he started to prepare her flowers and unpackaged everything. When he was finished he quickly left the room. He headed for his own room to sit down and think, but he wasn't able to make it. 

"Neji," his uncle, Lord Hiashi called to him. "See me in my study."

Neji resisted the urge to groan in frustration and went to Lord Hiashi, walking into the study and waiting for his uncle to come in after him. The door was closed behind them.

"You aren't around very much these days," Lord Hiashi said. "You leave early and stay out too late."

Neji hung his head. "Forgive me, Lord Hiashi," he said softly.

But he felt the older man's hand under his chin, lifting his face. "I've missed you," he said as he caressed Neji's cheek gently. "If you keep staying away, I will get upset."

"Forgive m--" Neji was cut off as Hiashi kissed him forcefully. He felt himself pinned against the wall. His body shuddered in disgust as his uncle's body pressed against him. The older man's tongue snaked into his mouth slowly. He finally broke away when someone called to him.

"Father!" Neji's younger cousin Hanabi called to Lord Hiashi from in the hallway. "Is Neji with you? He has a visitor. An ANBU member wants to speak with him about something!"

"Seat him and have him served something," Lord Hiashi called to her. "I will free Neji from his duties shortly."

Neji felt his heart sink when Lord Hiashi reached over and turned the lock on the door. He resigned himself to his fate as his uncle made him turn to face the wall.

* * *

Itachi looked up from his tea when Neji walked into the room, his hair looking a bit tangled and his clothes looking disheveled. Neji didn't meet his eyes as he sat down at the table with him. 

"You needed something?" Neji asked coldly. He didn't expect the ANBU member to be Itachi.

"Sasuke finally submitted to be examined by a doctor," Itachi said, looking at Neji seriously. "Tell me who did that to my brother."

Neji shifted an unsympathetic glare to Itachi. "If he doesn't want to tell you, why should I?"

"He is afraid I'll try to do something about it," Itachi responded stoically. "Which I will."

Neji smirked darkly. "Sure," he said. "I'll tell you just so you can be the one who gets it up the ass next."

Itachi glared as Neji leaned over the table and whispered. "Our dear Hokage is fucking your brother."

Itachi's eyes widened in surprise, but at the same time, he looked as though he thought it all made too much sense now.

"What?" Neji chuckled. "Did you think it was me at first? Hell, I don't blame you. My own cousin accuses me of every crime in the book and the useless idiots in this village believe every story from such an 'innocent' girl. But no, Itachi, I wasn't the one ripping your cherished little brother in two."

Itachi looked as though he was going to apologize, until Neji opened his mouth again.

"I thought about it though," Neji smirked. "He looks like a good fuck."

Itachi clenched his fists and stood up. "We're through here," he said.

Neji saw him out without a word, then went to take a shower, trying to wash it all away.

* * *

"So," Obito said with a smile as he and Gaara wandered around the village. "Hanging out with that Neji kid, eh?" 

Gaara nodded slightly. Obito found it funny that Gaara's expressions and movements were often so subtle, though Gaara's eyes seem to express that he thought his own actions were always strong enough to convey his meaning. Obito half wondered if Gaara even realized he looked so subdued.

"Did you get along with Sasuke?" Obito smiled.

Gaara nodded slightly again.

"So, are you guys friends then?"

"I think Sasuke would like to be friends," Gaara said. "I have only been here around a week, and he's been very kind."

"And Neji?" Obito asked.

"Neji…" Gaara said, looking off into the distance for a bit. "I'm unsure." He met Obito's eyes. "Why is he the way he is?"

Obito blinked in surprise at the question. "Um, well… I'm not sure about what you mean. But Neji has a bad rep around here. That would weigh on anyone."

"What has he done?" Gaara asked.

"He's been accused of everything possible," Obito sighed. "Theft, vandalism, beating people up, indecent acts with girls… indecent acts with boys… unlawful acts with both… and well, you get the idea." Obito looked around and slowed his pace a bit. "You know, I'm probably one of the few you'll hear this from, but I never believed a word of it. Ya gotta understand, Neji is a slave to his clan. And the head family treats him like he's lower than scum. Most people don't see it, but Rin andI saw a lot when they didn't think anyone was around late at night. And if you ever see the oldest daughter of the clan's head family, run. She's pretty, but don't even talk to her if you can help it. She's evil. She puts on the innocent act, but an act is all it is. One of these days I'm afraid she's just going to activate the seal on Neji's forehead and fry his brain… literally."

Gaara glanced to him. "You're kind, Obito," Gaara said. "I wish there were more like you in my village when I was a child."

"Had a hard time, eh?" Obito asked.

Gaara nodded and looked down with a deep sigh. "…Just a bit."

They walked for a while longer before Gaara spoke up again.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Naruto?" he asked, hoping that his cheerful friend was around somewhere.

"Naruto?" Obito said with a thoughtful look. "Hm, no. Never heard that name before."

Gaara felt sad hearing this. Naruto would have helped him even if he didn't know him. Well, the one in his world would have. And now, things were looking bleak for him when it came to finding powerful allies in case he needed help figuring out the door. Naruto didn't exist in this world. Sasuke existed but was completely soft. Neji existed but was dark and was not a ninja. And Lee was an utter jerk. All of the most powerful people he knew in his own world were not only much weaker here, they were all so different in personality. Optimistic Naruto, powerful Sasuke, tranquil Neji, and humble Lee were not here.

"Yo! Itachi!" Obito smiled as Itachi walked towards them in his ANBU uniform. He looked somewhat displeased.

"Obito," Itachi said, stopping to stand with them. "Gaara. How are you two today?"

"We're good," Obito grinned. "Just checking in with the kid here."

"There is something about you, Gaara," Itachi said, looking to him with honest eyes. "Obito opens up to people easily, but he seems to really like you."

"It's nice to have a little bro," Obito shrugged.

"Not all the time," Itachi smiled with a raised brow.

Seeing Itachi smile nearly caused Gaara to jump in shock. He wondered if people would feel the same if he started to smile more.

"So where are you headed?" Obito asked. "A mission?"

"I'm finished for the day," Itachi said. "I'm going to go home and make plans to assassinate the Hokage."

"Very funny!" Obito laughed. "Good luck with that!"

Itachi nodded with a slight smile and left the two alone. He walked off toward the Uchiha clan area.

"Obito," Gaara said after Itachi was gone. "I don't think he was joking…."

"What!" Obito laughed. "Of course he was! Itachi is many things, but he's not a cold-blooded killer. He's too loyal for that."

Gaara stared blankly at him, then nodded slowly.

"Seriously, Gaara," Obito smiled warmly. "The odds of Itachi being a killer are about the odds of you being one."

Gaara felt himself smiling slightly. "I can't argue with you there…."

* * *

When Gaara returned to his apartment there was someone standing at the balcony in front of the apartment next door. It was a young man a few years older than himself. His hair was long and dark, but nothalf as long as Neji's. And his face was very soft and youthful… very kind. He wore a dark blue button down shirt and had black pants on. His clothes were far too dark for his soft image. When he saw Gaara approaching, his large eyes seemed to twinkle and he smiled brightly. He was very beautiful. He could give many girls a run for their money. 

"Hello," he said.

"Hello," Gaara nodded.

Gaara didn't stop at his door. He walked straight to the other boy as if drawn to him. It was attraction and yet it wasn't. There was just a purity hanging around this other young man that drew Gaara closer.

"Are you my neighbor?" the young man asked kindly.

Gaara nodded.

"I see," he said, his smile fading a little. "Then your home is gone too?"

Gaara nodded again as he joined the other young man to look out over the village from the balcony.

"My name is Haku," the young man smiled.

"Gaara."

"Gaara," Haku repeated. "What a nice name. And Gaara, you seem very shy. It's okay. I am sometimes too."

There was an ease about Haku that made Gaara feel comfortable. His pure and calm nature reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place who. He had to wonder if it were possible to see what Haku was like in his own world.

"Gaara," Haku smiled. "Would you and your friend like to come in for dinner?"

Gaara blinked and turned to see Sasuke wandering up behind him. He smiled warmly at the two, as if nothing had ever happened to him. It didn't take much convincing for Haku to get them inside. And now, Gaara could feel something about Haku that he hadn't felt with many of the others. He was stronger than he looked.

Much stronger.

* * *

Neji lied there, staring blankly at the ceiling. Lord Hiashi was asleep next to him, his arm draped possessively over his chest. If Neji had known what he would have to endure for hours that night, he wouldn't have driven Itachi off so quickly. But it was always like that, wasn't it? Neji was so defensive around other people because of the way he was used to being treated. He drove them off before they could hurt him. 

His mind started to drift as his exhaustion started to take hold. Blue eyes with dark lines around them… reddish-brown hair… unshaken demeanor…. Gaara wasn't scared of him. He hadn't even flinched at how cold Neji was. To his own surprise, Neji had a passing hope that he'd see Gaara again soon. But he knew it was foolish. Was he hoping to be friends with Gaara? It wouldn't last…. It never lasted….

All foolishness.

When Lord Hiashi shifted and turned away from him, Neji quickly rolled away and stood slowly. He winced at the soreness of his assault and very quietly left the room. He didn't like the idea of walking through the massive house naked to get to his room, but it was better than being with his uncle all night.

He made it to his room and wrapped a towel around himself. He went and washed up, then returned and dressed for bed, slipping into his futon. He just wanted to forget the whole day. His mind ached and his body ached. It was too much pain.

And then his door opened slowly, and his heart started to ache. He would get no peace. Who would torture him now? Was it Hiashi again, here for another round with his body? Was it Hinata, who would come in to force him to do things for her at her own convenience? Was it some other respected member of the clan who would use him as their slave or whore or whatever else they wanted him to be?

He tried to remember the last time he got a good night's sleep when he felt someone kneel down to his futon. He kept his eyes closed as the blankets were lifted and someone slipped into his bed. A thin, soft body snuggled against him and gentle arms wrapped around him.

"Hanabi…" he whispered softly. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Mhmm…" she responded and she buried her face against him.

Hanabi was his younger cousin… Five years younger than Hinata and six younger than Neji. She was the only one in the family who truly loved him. And she was like a treasured younger sister to him, and he would do anything for her. He had no one else in the world but her. Hiashi ignored her and favored Hinata, and Hinata was jealous of Hanabi's goodness and innocence. The only reason Neji hadn't claimed his own life was because he didn't want to leave her with no one to care for her.

They fell asleep just like that, in each other arms like happy siblings while their dreams gave them peace from the world. Being cared for wasn't so scary, Neji had thought before he slept. Why not give it one more chance?

---To Be Continued---

(Hi everyone! I'm not generally a fan of out-of-character stories, but I thought this different take on it would be interesting. I will fully acknowledge what the characters are like in Gaara's true world, and hopefully we'll be seeing them too. )


	3. In Spirit

The young man frantically hurried out of the library, carrying a stack of books that nearly obscured his vision. He quickly made his way around the corner and narrowly avoided hitting someone. He missed the person, but his books went tumbling down to the ground.

"Excuse me!" he exclaimed as he knelt to put them up.

But the other young man was a step ahead of him, and he helped him collect his books again. It was hard to tell what this person was thinking as he helped though. He didn't have any expression on his face. But there were those curious dark rings around his soft blue eyes….

"Thanks!" the first young man said, trying not to stare into those odd blue eyes. "Look, I'm really sorry. The Hokage wanted these, and I wasn't watching where I was going…."

"It is alright."

"I… I really gotta go!" the frantic young man said. "Always busy…. It's really troublesome, but someone has to do it…."

**Mirror of Beyond: part III: In Spirit**

Gaara watched Shikamaru leave, never having seen him so frantic or busy or anything but lazy. The way Temari talked about him back home, it was a wonder he was a ninja at all. But Gaara was used to seeing people acting completely different from the ones he knew back home.

"Sorry I'm late!" he heard Obito call out as he ran up to Gaara. "I was helping an old lady carry her groceries to her house… but then this dog -- never mind…."

"I just got here," Gaara nodded.

"So what were we looking for again?" Obito asked. "Something about your country?"

"Yes," Gaara nodded. "Information about something ancient."

"I don't think you'll need my clearance for a history book," Obito smiled as they went inside.

Gaara found that the Konoha library was easy to navigate. He easily found books about the wind country, but they were all very general with their facts. After about an hour he hadn't found anything even close to what he needed.

"So what exactly do you need?" Obito asked, peering over a copy of a book called Icha Icha Paradise.

"Information about a large, ancient door that was found out in the middle of the desert near the Sand Village," Gaara responded. "It had -- It was said to have strange symbols on it, and weird chakra emminating from it."

"Sounds like a ghost story," Obito said, looking interested.

"Information like that wouldn't be here with the normal books," a deep voice said behind them. "This area is for the public. You'll want to look in the more restricted sections for anything related to mysterious artifacts of the shinobi villages."

They turned to see Kakashi standing behind them. He looked fairly casual, aside from his mask.

"It's unlike you to be in a library, Obito," he said.

"Hey!" Obito grinned. "I'm helping Gaara find information on chakra doors… or something."

"Well he can't go back to the restricted section," Kakashi frowned. "So I guess you better start looking for him. Be careful that all the words don't hurt your head."

"Very funny" Obito said, sticking his tongue out at Kakashi before patting Gaara on the shoulder and wandering off to the section that only people of Konoha Chuunin or Jounin status could enter.

"I should go help him," Kakashi sighed. "He's an idiot…."

Gaara nodded and watched Kakashi go. He sat there waiting and took a look around the large elaborate library. He did a double-take when he saw Itachi sitting at a table not far from him. He seemed to run into this guy a lot.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, Itachi glanced over his book and met Gaara's eyes. He stood slowly and gathered his books, then walked over and sat down across from Gaara, his stoic expression never changing as he moved.

"I never thanked you for helping my brother," Itachi said softly. "I really do appreciate what you did for him. Most people wouldn't have dared to get close."

"It was nothing," Gaara said. "Sasuke is kind to me."

"Hey!" they heard Obito 'whisper' to Kakashi from behind a shelf. "They've got porn in here!"

"That's an anatomy book, stupid…" Kakashi replied. "And the restricted section is over there!"

"How am I supposed to know where anything is with all these books around!" Obito hissed back.

Gaara and Itachi glanced at each other, both of them clearly amused.

Itachi went back to reading his book and Gaara glanced at the title. It was titled _How to Kill an Entire Clan_. Gaara stared at the back of the book with a look of sheer disbelief. How could he not stare? And who in the world titled their book that way anyway? Gaara slowly looked down at the stack of books Itachi had on the table. _The Slaughter of Kin_…. _Betraying One's Village_….

"Hey, Itachi!" Obito said, sitting next to Gaara with a stack of books. "This library place is pretty cool! It's got all kinds of books and stuff!" (Gaara saw Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, moving his hands up to rub his temples.)

"So it does," Itachi smiled slightly. "Interesting to see a library with books… and stuff."

"Yeah!" Obito agreed, oblivious to the fact that he was being made fun of. "And what the hell are you reading, man? You've got the weirdest tastes with that crazy sense of humor of yours!"

Gaara nearly stared at Obito like he was crazy.

"So Gaara," Obito smiled. "Kakashi helped me find these. They looked like they'd be helpful."

"Books about archeological and mysterious finds in the Wind Country," Kakashi said.

"After losing your country, the least we can do is get you any copies you need," Obito nodded.

"Thank you," Gaara said to them, smiling that subdued smile of his. Kakashi nodded and Obito grinned. But something about seeing the two together made Gaara's heart sink in his chest. He heard Itachi turning a page of his book and realized what he was feeling. In his world, there was very, very little chance that Obito was still alive. If being a ninja hadn't claimed his life, then there was a very good possibility that Itachi had.

Suddenly, Gaara felt very depressed, but his face didn't reflect it.

He tried to get his mind off of things by continuing with his search for information about the mysterious door. He would try not to let himself be bothered by information he was unsure of when it came to people he saw here.

After another hour in the library, and more of Obito learning the wonder of books, Gaara walked down the streets alone, with all of his books in his arms. They looked like they might be helpful, and Obito and Kakashi and even Itachi spent a lot of time going back and forth getting them for him.

Children were playing with a small ball on the street as he passed. He clearly saw them and saw their every action. He also saw it when one of the children kicked the ball and it headed straight for him. It was coming very fast. But what did it matter? In less than a second the sand would stop it as it always had.

But before Gaara could blink the ball had been caught just before hitting him in the head.

"Careful there," he heard Haku say.

Gaara watched as Haku smiled and tossed the ball back to the children. Without asking, he reached over and took half of the books to lighten the load.

"Thank you," Gaara said.

"Of course," Haku smiled. "You can't do anything if your hands are so full."

But Gaara was shaken. Very shaken. The sand hadn't moved to stop the ball, and he even perceived a threat and wanted it stopped. And he never saw Haku coming. He didn't feel his presence at all. As the two walked together, Gaara looked at the ground, trying to will the sand at his feet to move or swirl or solidify or do anything at all. But none of it moved for him. He was powerless.

"You don't look too good," Haku said, his kind eyes worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Just a little tired," Gaara responded.

"You've looked worried a lot lately," Haku said. "I think you need to rest tomor--" he stopped suddenly, and Gaara looked up to see what had distracted him.

There, in regal red robes, the symbol for fire on his hat, stood the cold, snake-like Orochimaru. He was just feet away from them, staring with those cruel eyes. Gaara felt a surge of fear and a chill down his spine. Haku must have felt the same, because they were both frozen in place, not saying a word. The air around them grew thick with tension and warning.

"Two young ones from warring countries," Orochimaru said in his snake-like voice. "I hope the people of this village are treating you well?"

"Yes, thank you," Haku spoke up. "Very well."

Orochimaru took a good look at the two, but the way he looked at Haku made Gaara afraid for his new friend. There was was a hint of desire in Orochimaru's eyes. A cold lust and merciless nature.

"I hope you are able to live here in peace," Orochimaru smirked finally. He then walked past them, and it was only when he was long gone that they felt they could breath again. They no longer felt rooted in place.

"Haku," Gaara said. "If you ever see him, make sure you go somewhere where he can't get you alone."

Haku only nodded, still looking a little shaken.

----------

Sasuke was just reaching for the door when it opened and Itachi stepped inside. Itachi stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"You aren't going anywhere," Itachi said.

"I'm going to see Gaara and Haku," Sasuke said stubbornly, reaching past Itachi for the door again. "I'll be back later. The one mom worries about because he's gone all the time is you, not me."

Itachi grabbed his wrist firmly. "I saw Orochimaru out there today," Itachi said softly. "Do not put me in this position, Sasuke. I told you I would keep it from mom and dad. But what does it matter if it keeps happening?"

"I don't want to think about it," Sasuke said. "I just want to go see my friends, okay?"

Itachi looked into his brother's eyes. He understood now. Sasuke was lonely. After all, Itachi was always busy these days.

"Not today," Itachi said, not moving from the doorway. "Stay here today."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore," he said, annoyed.

Itachi shook his head slowly. "Foolish little brother…" he muttered. He opened the door and stepped outside. "I will take you to see them and come for you later."

Sasuke stared at him, the look of annoyance still on his face.

"I'm not asking to stay with you and your friends," Itachi said calmly. "We're only walking together."

"Will I have to live like this until we have another Hokage?" Sasuke asked. "I'll need an escort every time you even see him?"

"Yes," Itachi said firmly.

Sasuke frowned and turned around, heading for his room. He started to pace there, and Itachi came in after him.

"Hate me if you must," Itachi said.

"I don't hate you," Sasuke murmured, running his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm just frustrated…. What did I do to deserve this?"

Itachi put a hand on Sasuke's head and sighed deeply, shutting his eyes. "I will do something," he said.

"Don't try anything!" Sasuke exclaimed. "He'll kill you!"

Suddenly Itachi's hands where at his shoulders, gripping him roughly as he started into Sasuke's eyes. "I WILL do something," Itachi said darkly.

Sasuke pulled away from him. "You will do something? YOU? Against HIM?"

"If I didn't have you to worry about…" Itachi trailed off.

"What?" Sasuke asked defensively. "Forgive me for holding you back! We can't have the pride of our clan having anything to worry about now can we?" He walked to his door. "I'm leaving now. Don't bother worrying if I don't make it home."

Itachi grabbed his arm again, and out of pure frustration Sasuke turned around and threw a punch towards his brother's jaw. But Itachi was too fast for him, and it all happened so quickly after that. Sasuke's punch had been so easily avoided, and now Itachi had him pinned beneath him on the floor. Sasuke looked up with defeated eyes as Itachi leaned his face down very close to his own.

"It's this easy for him…" Itachi said, his mouth dangerously close to Sasuke's. "This easy to do anything he wants to you…."

Sasuke felt Itachi's breath mingling with his own. Slowly, he started to overcome his shock. He narrowed his eyes and glared defiantly at his older brother. "Jealous?" he asked with pure venom in his tone.

Red. That was the color that flashed for an instant in Itachi's black eyes. His Sharingan had been triggered for that instant, driven purely by rage. But the color was gone in an instant. Itachi was cold again. He quickly got off of Sasuke and walked out of the room.

Sasuke sat up, feeling horrible. He wasn't really upset with Itachi. He just hated what Orochimaru was doing to his life. He couldn't remember ever being so mean to his brother. Clenching his fists, he stood up and stared at the world outside his window. Moments later, he was outside, running towards Gaara's and Haku's apartments.

--------

It wasn't only his nights that were interrupted. Even the little time he had to himself was invaded. Neji wanted so badly to just rest in his room. He was on his back, staring at his ceiling, trying to clear his mind. Slowly, his eyes started to close and he drifted off. When he opened them again, Hinata was standing there, staring down at him. Her long dark hair cascaded around her black robes, making her look like a void in the room.

He quickly tried to stand to greet her properly, but her foot landed firmly on his chest, keeping him down on the floor.

"Not one sound…." she said coldly.

He watched as she stepped over him with one foot, so that she was standing directly above him, one foot on either side of his head. Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees. He learned the hard way that she wasn't wearing anything under those robes. As soon as his head was covered by the black fabric, all light shut out, he felt hot, wet flesh touch his lips. Instantly he felt sick.

"Get to work," Hinata said above him as she rocked her hips, pressing herself against his mouth. And he obeyed, trying not to let the contents of his stomach rise out of him.

His own cousin….

He tried to get the act done as quickly as he could. And he tried to remember when things had gotten so bad. As she roughly grinded against his face he thought back to the first time she had hurt him.

They were so young. Only around seven years old. (Though, Hyuuga children were generally very mature and bright for their age.) Hinata already knew that the green seal on his forehead meant that he would forever be her servant, and even at this age, she started to order him around.

She was soon to have a birthday party, and she 'graciously' allowed him to come. This had excited him a good deal. He had always heard of these parties. Games and cake and lots of other children around. He realized that part of her must like him if she was going to allow him to come.

"Wait for me out in the clearing in the woods that our clan likes to picnic in," Hinata smiled sweetly. "We'll be having the party out there."

Neji smiled and obeyed her. He went into the forest and found the clearing. He sat on the ground and waited. It was a beautiful day and he didn't mind sitting outside.

It seemed as though he waited forever. Finally, he heard rustling in the bushes and turned to see the source. Lord Hiashi emerged from the trees, and he stopped to stare at him.

"Hello, Lord Hiashi," Neji smiled, jumping up and bowing respectfully.

"Neji…" Lord Hiashi said softly, approaching him. He appeared to be looking around, scanning the area for anyone else. He even activated his Byakugan to look for people, but shut the ability off when he seemed satisfied that there was no one.

"What's wrong, Lord Hiashi?" Neji asked. He assumed his uncle was looking for Hinata.

Lord Hiashi put a hand on his head gently. "You're such a good boy," he whispered. "Why did you have to be out here all alone…?"

He knelt down in front of Neji, and there was tension in the air. Neji felt a chill down his spine. Lord Hiashi pulled him into a hug, but it was as if his hands were too active… too ready and willing to caress him. Slowly, Neji felt himself being pushed back onto the grass.

He was missing for hours and no one noticed or cared.

When he made it back to the Hyuuga main house, Lord Hiashi was carrying his body, which was rigid and shaking from the shock of what would be the first of many violations of his body. As though nothing had happened, Lord Hiashi simply left Neji in the hallway and continued with his business.

Hinata rounded the corner with a new doll in hand. She glared at him.

"Hmph," she smirked. "Good thing I left you out there. You probably would have ruined my party if I hadn't. Look at how dirty you are."

Neji looked at her as though she had struck him. His hair was tangled, his clothes covered with grass stains, his body bruised. And why…? Why did she have to leave him out there…?

"Why do you hate me so much?" Neji asked, tears slipping down his face.

"Because," Hinata shrugged. "You're just my servant. No one likes you."

Neji stared down at the floor. He knew she was right. "I'm your cousin," he said softly. "Don't you love me at all?"

"No," she said sternly. "I hate you."

But even after saying that, she suddenly walked up and put her arms around him.

"All you have is me," she said. "You should be happy I'm around. You wouldn't have anyone without me. If I wasn't around to serve, father would throw you out. And I'll be really nice to you if you're a good little servant."

But many years passed since then, and she had never been nice.

And now, here they were… her moaning softly above him as she raped his face. He was happy when she finally reached her climax and stood. She smirked down at him before walking out.

He sat up slowly and wiped his face. Not caring about the consequences, he left the estate and walked aimlessly, trying to clear his head.

--------

He stood on top of the Hokage building and looked out over the village, his red robes blowing in the wind. But not even the movement of that red fabric could do anything to make him any more graceful or any less monstrous. But what did he care? Everything and everyone here was his possession, and he would rule over them forever.

But the time was drawing closer. Soon, he would need to transfer his dark soul into a new, young body to extend his life once more. It was true that he always altered his appearance to look like his snake-like self again, but he still always chose the most beautiful and powerful body he could find for himself. And now there were so many choices.

But there was one who was everything he wanted. Youthful, handsome, strong, and with those powerful eyes. With the Sharingan, he would be unstoppable. The only question was, how would he pull it off? How would he go about taking this young man's body without anyone knowing?

But Orochimaru still had a little time to plan. After all, there were none who could oppose him. Not now, not ever.

--------

"What are you looking at?" Neji asked coldly as he and Sasuke crossed directly into each other's paths in the street. Sasuke was wearing bright yellow today. It made Neji want to punch him. No one should look this sunny.

"Nothing," Sasuke shrugged. "Just… didn't get to thank you for helping me that one time…."

"I was going to leave you there," Neji said. "Thank that raccoon-eyed guy with the stupid tattoo."

"Oh…" Sasuke nodded. "Well… I'm going to see him now. Wanna come?"

"Why?" Neji asked defensively.

"Just to hang out," Sasuke said. "You know… I never see you with anyone… so I figured--"

"No," Neji said flatly.

"Oh… okay," Sasuke nodded. "Just thought it would get you away from home for a while."

Sasuke walked past him and Neji stood there silently for a brief second before turning and gripping Sasuke's shoulder.

"Wait," Neji said with a sigh. He let go and started to walk behind him.

"Haku will probably be there too," Sasuke said. "He's from another country, like Gaara."

Neji said nothing. He only continued to follow until they reached Gaara's apartment. Sasuke went inside without knocking and motioned for Neji to follow. Inside, Gaara and Haku were sitting lazily in the room. Gaara was stretched out on the couch, and Haku was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

"Neji," Sasuke said, "This is Haku, and you already know Gaara."

"Hey," Neji said.

"Nice to meet you," Haku smiled sweetly from the floor with a wave.

Neji did a double take at Haku, as if he didn't know he was a boy a first. But the voice confirmed it.

"Find a place to sit," Gaara said.

Sasuke and Neji sat down as Haku continued to talk about the Water Country as he was before they came in. Gaara could tell that Sasuke and Neji had hardly set foot outside of the village, because they were both completely engrossed in his story. And as Gaara listened, he heard Haku pause occasionally and rethink the details he was giving. The other two didn't pick up on it, but Gaara was almost certain now. Haku was a ninja like himself. And for whatever reason, like himself, Haku had chosen to hide this fact.

As the time passed, and as Sasuke spoke of places his brother had spoken of and Haku spoke of places he wished he could visit, Gaara watched as Neji sat there silently. Even the way he sat was so unlike the Neji he knew. While Sasuke was so different from the Sasuke in his world, he could still see similarities in the ways both Sasukes moved. In either world, Sasuke's movements were laid back and confident. The only real difference in this world was that Sasuke seemed to move around a lot more in general. But this Neji… he was completely different. He was always tense and there were cruel and even murderous desires hidden in his eyes. Gaara new this because he used to have those same eyes.

Neji lifted his white eyes and met Gaara's gaze. Gaara didn't look away, but Neji did. He stared at the floor a lot. The Neji back in Gaara's world didn't stare at the ground. That one probably wouldn't have looked away. He might have even smiled a bit. The Neji back home seemed as bad as Gaara when it came to showing emotions. But Gaara new he felt them. Everyone felt them.

"I should get going," Haku said as it started to get dark. "Need to get some exercise."

Gaara realized that Haku had to train to keep his body strong and sharp, just as he did. Gaara was usually away early in the day to do this. Most people were too busy to notice him then.

"I should get going too," Sasuke said. "Family expects me back."

"Have a good night," Gaara said, his expression unmoving.

Neji stood to go as well, but Gaara walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. He stood there without a word as the other two walked out.

"What is it?" Neji asked.

"You should come more often," Gaara said, letting go of his shoulder. "You'll get lonely at home."

"I'm fine at home," Neji said, frowning.

"Your eyes say otherwise," Gaara replied. "But it is your choice. Come whenever you like."

Neji looked at him for a few moments as if he wanted to say something. But instead he turned slowly and walked out.

--------

Late that night, when the whole village seemed lost in sleep, Gaara stood at the balcony in front of his apartment and stared up at the sky. He wanted to jump to the roof, but couldn't summon the chakra to do it. He was finding that he couldn't control his chakra anymore. He was gradually feeling more tired. He knew he needed to get home.

Something floated to his ears on the wind. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what he could be hearing so late. It was a little like breath, and a little like someone's voice. It blew through the air faintly like the soft breeze.

"…arr..a…"

Gaara opened his eyes slowly. The air felt eerie to him. He felt as though he were being watched.

"…ybe… ku…n…ee… im… lea… ait…me…."

Gaara looked around. He was hearing someone's voice. There was no mistake about it. But the way it was coming to him made him uneasy. It was as though the wind was speaking because the words were broken and hushed and so unclear.

And then he saw it. He looked down to the road below and saw the shimmer of what looked like a ghost. The figure walked down the road dressed in white, but the glow was so faint, and the figure was so transparent. Gaara wasn't one for ghost stories, so he quickly ran downstairs to see what it was. But when he reached the street, it was gone.

He sighed deeply and turned to go. But there it was again, moving right in front of him. Somehow he knew the figure couldn't see him. It glided along with smooth steps, white clothing fading in and out. The shadow against the back of the near-transparent figure seemed to indicate long, dark hair. And before the figure faded completely, Gaara saw clearly for a brief second… white eyes.

"Neji?" Gaara asked, reaching out for the ghost-like figure of the Neji from his own world.

But he was already gone.

--------

Itachi heard someone moving about. It was so late in the night and Sasuke hadn't returned yet. Itachi was sorry for fighting with him and scaring him. So when he heard the movement he quickly made his way into the hallway. Oddly enough, he saw no one, but there were footsteps wandering around, making the floorboards creak.

"Sasuke?" Itachi whispered, not wanting to awaken his parents.

The footsteps stopped suddenly. Itachi heard someone coming closer to him as he stepped into the dark living room. Standing in front of the window like a giant shadow was Sasuke, his spiky hair making it more than apparent who was there.

"Sasuke," Itachi said. "You mustn't stay out this late, no matter how much you hate me right now. I'm sorry for earlier."

Sasuke said nothing, but it was as though Itachi could feel his eyes burning him.

"Say something," Itachi said. "Did something happen?"

Again, no response. Something wasn't right. Sasuke's dark form didn't move whatsoever, but Itachi knew he was listening.

"Say something!" Itachi said, getting annoyed.

"Foolish older brother…" Sasuke whispered very softly.

Itachi opened his mouth to say something when the door behind him opened. He turned, and his eyes widened when he saw Sasuke standing there, looking incredibly roughed up. But then… who…

Pain. White hot, blinding pain.

Itachi couldn't think clearly. He saw his brother standing in the doorway, his expression changing from confusion to horror. Itachi looked down to see the sword piercing him from behind, sticking out of him with a glowing blade. In shock, he watched as Sasuke's eyes looked over his shoulder, only to grow more terrified.

"Hate me," Itachi heard the person behind him whisper. "Detest me…."

The sword was pulled out of him roughly, slashing and ripping at his insides all over again. What was wrong with him? He felt so weak…. And he hadn't seen the attack coming. So weak….

So… weak….

"BROTHER!" Sasuke yelled as the shock of the scene before him broke. As Itachi sank to the floor Sasuke caught him. "Speak to me!" he said in a panicked voice. "FATHER! HELP!"

"Run…" Itachi whispered to Sasuke. "Just run away…."

Sasuke looked up, but the attacker was gone. It was as though he vanished into thin air. Lights came on in the house and their father burst into the room to see Itachi in Sasuke's arms, both of them covered in blood. Their mother soon followed.

"Who did this!" she cried as she knelt next to them while their father went to get help.

Sasuke looked down to see that Itachi's eyes had turned from black to red. Itachi only looked up at him with questioning eyes. He had seen the attacker with Sharingan before they disappeared. And it was no illusion. Whoever it was, he looked exactly like Sasuke.

---To Be Continued---

(Sorry I'm getting these out so slowly. I've been really busy!)


	4. Sinners

"Several different sightings of ghosts?" Rin asked.

"That's right," Kakashi said, looking annoyed. "The village has gone crazy."

"Well, if we have that many sightings, maybe there is something to it?" Rin asked.

"Seriously, guys," Obito said, looking around nervously. "There is something going on."

"What?" Kakashi frowned. "Don't tell me you saw something too."

"Yes I saw something!" Obito said. "This ghost dude was in my room! He was staring at me! He looked like Kakashi, but it wasn't Kakashi!"

"I think you were dreaming," Kakashi sighed. "If it looked like me you were probably just having a dream about me."

"I don't swing that way!" Obito said. "There was something there!"

"Okay," Rin said. "Let's say there was something there. No one has been hurt, so--"

"Wrong," Obito said. "Itachi has been."

"That was a solid, flesh and blood person who stabbed him," Kakashi said.

"Think about this," Obito said. "Someone got close enough to stab Itachi without Itachi picking up murderous intent or movement? Itachi is way too fast and skilled for that. And then the person vanished into thin air. And he looked just like Sasuke, but there was no genjutsu going on."

"It's all a coincidence," Rin said. "We'll look back at this and laugh. What could happen?"

**Mirror of Beyond: part IV: Sinners**

Gaara stood against the wall in his room, watching as another ghostly figure moved by. He knew he could see them more than anyone else. Sometimes he could make out who they were, and other times they were too faint. He saw glimpses of Shikamaru and Temari and Kakashi... but the one that looked like Neji was always the brightest of all. A tall, strong figure with flowing dark hair and graceful movements. Neji always glided past him, completely unaware. And now here he was again, inches from Gaara, shedding a faint blue light into the room.

And Gaara knew. He was sure that this could be none other than the Neji from his own world. It was no illusion. His movements were too casual and relaxed, and at times, seemingly without meaning. No illusion could catch every movement so accurately. Did this mean Neji was at the door? But the door was out in the desert…. What did it mean? Gaara felt loneliness creep into him when the figure disappeared.

It almost amused Gaara the way loneliness could do such strange things to people. He and Neji had hardly ever spoken to each other in his own world. Yet he felt so happy seeing him there, even in a form he couldn't interact with. The light flickered in the room again and Gaara turned around. It was Neji again, inches away from him. He was so close that Gaara could almost make out the features in the blurred face. Gaara reached out and tried to touch his shoulder, but his hand went through the ghostly figure. So near to him, yet nothing.

The figure faded and disappeared once more, just as there was a sudden knock at the door. Gaara turned as it opened slowly. It was cloudy outside, but the light that made it through the clouds started to flood the room.

"Why are the lights off?" he heard the Neji of this new, unfamiliar world ask.

Gaara felt his heart sink. It was like waking up from a dream and realizing that things weren't as beautiful and good as they were when you were asleep. The weight of being in this world was starting to hit him. As he reached over and turned on the lights he look a good long look at the Neji of this dark world as he stepped inside. This Neji had none of the strength, grace, or tranquility of the Neji he knew, but that face…. Why did he have to have that same face? The expression was completely different, but it was still that face.

"I forgot to turn the lights on when the clouds came," Gaara said finally. "Please, come in."

"I don't know why I'm here," Neji said. He went and sat down on the couch.

No… all wrong, Gaara thought. Why couldn't you at least sit the same way as him? Don't look so tense….

"Neither do I," Gaara said softly, more to himself.

"You can turn the lights off again…" Neji said.

The way he said it, Gaara could tell Neji preferred them off. And Gaara preferred them off as well. He was feeling desperate to see people from home, and now these clones… these copies… these living and breathing entities that looked like people he once knew… they were killing him inside. They weren't them. They could never be them but they looked like them.

Gaara switched off the lights, and he sat on the couch with Neji in the darkness. They left a lot of space between them. And so they sat there, quiet and under the cover of shadows.

"Being here isn't enough for you," Neji said suddenly.

Gaara turned to his shadowy figure curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You belong somewhere better," Neji said, his deep voice echoing just slightly in the room. He sat silently a little while longer before adding, "Your eyes... are lonely."

Gaara said nothing. He only stared at his lap. He had hoped never to feel such deep loneliness again. He missed his home. He had worked so hard to feel needed and loved there… and now he couldn't be there anymore.

"I should get back," Neji said as he stood. "I don't feel like being punished today. Just felt like… stopping by."

Gaara stood with him, and Neji passed by to get to the door. And just then it happened, and only Gaara saw it. The ghostly figure of the Neji from his world flickered in the room and was gone again.

"Wait!" Gaara said, a hint of desperation in his voice as he reached forward.

He felt eyes on him in the darkness. Gaara realized that he had cried out for the Neji from his own world, but was now clinging to the arm of the one from this world. He looked up slowly and knew that Neji was staring at him. And Gaara could find no words to explain himself. He slowly let go of Neji's arm and looked away.

He heard Neji turn the handle of the door, but he only cracked it open. After a moment of silence, Gaara felt a hand slide against his cheek gently. Then the door opened and shut again, and Neji was gone. Both of him.

--------

Haku was out on the balcony when Gaara finally decided to go outside. He looked a little troubled when Gaara walked closer.

"There is something very wrong happening in this village," Haku said, looking out over the streets and trees and buildings.

"With someone like Orochimaru leading…" Gaara trailed off.

"It's not just that," Haku said. "When I first got here I noticed there were quite a few ninja from different countries. I thought they were just like you and me, without homes to return to because of the war. But there is a particular country that has too many of its shinobi here. All of them look perfectly unharmed."

"Which village?" Gaara asked, realizing that he needed to get out more.

"They call themselves The Sound," Haku responded. "And every day there are more of them here. I'm starting to get the feeling that Orochimaru invited them here for reasons other than charity. Maybe that's why we're here too."

Gaara blinked and looked to Haku and they met each others eyes.

"Gaara," Haku smiled. "The select few who were found in good condition were almost always very strong people. If they weren't, they would have died in the war."

"So you know," Gaara said. "And I know about you too."

"I thought you'd figure it out somehow," Haku smiled. "I was a Jounin for my village, as I assume you were."

"You could say that," Gaara smiled slightly. "But there is something wrong here. I can't mold or control my chakra properly. It feels like its draining from me."

Haku looked at him with concern. He knew that Gaara was very serious, as he usually didn't speak this much.

"At the risk of sounding crazy," Gaara continued. "There is something I have to tell you. Something about where I'm really from."

--------

"And then the princess wept for him, knowing that all joys would be forbidden to him in that place," Neji read, his younger cousin Hanabi on his lap, his arms around her and holding the book in her lap so she could read along. "But he told her not to weep for him, for as long as she was alive and well, he would feel no pain. She only needed to be happy, and then he would be happy."

"Cousin Neji," Hanabi said looking back at him. "This story is sad. Won't he ever be free?"

Neji smiled slightly, but his eyes held pain that she was too naïve and sweet to see. "Someday," he smiled.

Suddenly the door to Hanabi's room burst open. The fragile world of soft colors and origami and delicate paper lanterns and innocent fantasies was broken when Hinata came in, a wicked smile on her face.

"Hanabi," Hinata smirked. "Pack your things. We're sending you away."

Hanabi didn't move from Neji's lap. She slid her hands from the book and turned to wrap her arms around Neji.

"Away?" Neji blinked, dropping the book and holding Hanabi against him.

"Yes," Hinata muttered, as she glared at her little sister. "Father and I can no longer be bothered with such a weak and helpless child. I am the heir to the family. I am the capable fighter. We have no need for her."

"But…" Hanabi whimpered. "I don't want to go away…."

"At the end of the month," Hinata interrupted, "We're sending you away. No one will ever find you." Her cruel white eyes glanced to Neji's as she spoke to Hanabi. "You'll go to a nice little school, where they'll teach you to be a nice proper girl. A very… entertaining… girl."

"There is no such place," Neji said, before covering Hanabi's ears. "There's no such place," he repeated.

"I'm so happy," Hinata smiled. "My dear sister will make such a pretty ornament for some dirty old lord's bed."

"Don't tease her like that," Neji said softly. "Of all of us she's the only one with her innocence. Don't take it from her!" He slid his hands away and guided Hanabi's hands over her own ears before covering her hands with his to block out more sound.

Hinata's jaw tightened as Hanabi nuzzled against Neji's shoulder. "Maybe it's time I taught my sister the way of the world before she goes away." She approached the two slowly. "There is someone who would like to meet Hanabi. A friend of mine. He'll teach her how the world works."

Neji quickly wrapped his arms around Hanabi and picked her up as he stood. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him, looking fearful.

"Or maybe you should show her how the world works right now," Hinata said with a dark smirk. "Fuck her."

"No!" Neji said. "No… she's just a kid. Stop doing this, Lady Hinata!"

"What's wrong?" Hanabi asked, her voice quivering.

"Nothing," Neji said. "Just go to my room and stay there until I come for you, okay?" He set her down on the floor carefully.

"No," Hinata said. "Stay Hanabi. Neji has something he wants to show you."

"Go Hanabi!" Neji urged.

"Get away from him, stupid, ugly big sister!" Hanabi screamed suddenly, clinging to Neji's waist.

"What did you just say to me?" Hinata growled. "You stupid little bitch!"

Neji tried to get Hanabi to the door, but Hinata got in the way.

"I just told you to fuck her," Hinata said. "Shove it inside your precious little princess if you love her so damn much!"

"Shut up!" Neji yelled ferociously, and Hanabi started to cry. "If you ever hurt her or cause her any pain in any way, I'll kill you!"

He roughly pushed past Hinata with crying Hanabi trailing behind him, her hand in his. But as soon as Neji was out of the room, he felt himself walk into someone. His heart seemed to stop beating as he felt a wave of fear. He looked up to see Lord Hiashi.

"All these years," Lord Hiashi said, his voice low and threatening. "And you dare talk to someone in the head family that way?"

"Lord Hiashi…" Neji said, pulling Hanabi closer to him. "Please, I beg you--"

"Hinata," Lord Hiashi said firmly. "Take your little sister to your room and watch her. It seems Neji will have to learn his manners again."

"Don't hurt Cousin Neji, Father, please!" Hanabi pleaded as she started to wrap her arms around Neji's waist. "Please, please, please don't!"

But suddenly, Hinata was pulling Hanabi away from Neji roughly, and she started to scream. When Neji tried to get her back, he felt Lord Hiashi roughly grab his hair close to the scalp. But still, Neji and Hanabi kept their hands joined. With a hard jerk Lord Hiashi pulled Neji towards him, and Hinata had her arms around Hanabi, pulling her in the other direction.

"Don't hurt him!" Hanabi screamed, again and again. "DON'T HURT HIM!"

Annoyed, Hinata punched her little sister in the face.

"No!" Neji cried out as Hanabi's hand left his.

Hinata started to pull Hanabi away, kicking and screaming and crying.

"RUN COUSIN NEJI! RUN!"

And now, Lord Hiashi yanked again as he moved to his study, and Neji toppled to the floor. He was being pulled by his hair down the long hallway, and his struggles meant nothing. If he struggled too hard he felt a sharp pain in his forehead from his seal being toyed with.

"Hanabi!" Neji called out to her. "Don't worry about me! Be strong, Hanabi!"

"Cousin!" Hanabi cried as she was pulled into her sister's room. And just before she disappeared through the doorway, Neji saw another pair of arms reach out to take her from Hinata.

"No!" Neji cried out. "They're going to hurt her! Lord Hiashi, please! Don't let them!"

"SILENCE!" Lord Hiashi roared as he dragged Neji all the way into his study by the hair and shut the door behind him. Only then did he let go.

It sounded like there was a struggle going on further down the hall. Neji could hear Hanabi fighting and crying and breaking things to get away.

"I accept my punishment," Neji pleaded on his knees. "Just please let Hanabi leave the house. Let her go see friends. Let her play outside. Anything… please…."

Hanabi suddenly let out a shrill cry that cut through the walls and into Neji's heart. He jumped up and ran to the door, only for Lord Hiashi to grab him roughly again and drag him back, this time hitting him in several places so that any movement made Neji feel like he was burning. And then his clothes were torn and ripped from his body. When it was done, he was on the floor, naked and still struggling to rise.

Hanabi cried out again and again, and he could hear her getting weaker. He didn't want to think of why. He clawed his way along the floor and tried to push himself up.

"COUSIN!" Hanabi screamed again. "HELP ME! IT HURTS! HELP ME PLEASE!"

Her screams were tortured and desperate, and he was on his feet again. But this time Lord Hiashi's hand reached around from behind him and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him backwards all the way to the desk. With a rough, hurried motion Lord Hiashi cleared the desk off in one stroke. Neji was turned quickly and bent over it, his face hitting the desk hard. Lord Hiashi held Neji down by keeping one hand on his head as he undid his pants quickly.

"HELP… ME…" Hanabi wailed.

Neji felt tears falling down his face. He defiantly tried to push himself up from the desk, but Lord Hiashi slammed him down again, face first. Blood started to drip from his nose and mouth and his body felt like it was in flames. Neji felt one of his knees being pulled up roughly so that one of his feet was on the floor and one leg was propped up painfully on the desk.

"Save her," Neji begged. "I'll take her away and you'll never have to see her again! I'll do anything…. Please! I will never ask for anything again!"

"You'll do anything I tell you no matter what," Lord Hiashi snapped. "You belong to me. Your will and your body belong to me. Don't forget your fate with this family."

The first thrust… that initial intrusion… the first note to the horrible melody of pain… it hurt more now than it ever had in the past. With one leg held up on the desk and his face held down in a pool of his own tears and blood, Neji could still hear Hanabi's weakening screams. It seemed as though everytime his uncle thrust into him he heard her scream in torment from her sister's room.

The deep, suffocating darkness that his soul had bottled up for years seeped to the surface, then broke through, tainting his heart. He could no longer bare it. It was then that he took pleasure in the physical pain of his uncle pounding into him until blood ran between his legs. The physical pain was ecstasy compared to what he felt inside.

Lord Hiashi watched as his toy broke before his eyes. Neji's white eyes lost any luster they had left as he died inside. The tears stopped flowing, and the struggles ended. When Neji moved again, it was to push back against his rapist, to take more inside of him. To make it worse. To take more pain.

But his eyes still held that look of death. All light extinguished.

--------

Sasuke walked into the room as Itachi played the piano. It was one of the few times you could walk into a room without Itachi knowing you were there. He was completely lost in the music of the grand piano that sat in the largest room of their incredibly large house. Itachi had been playing a lot lately. Since the attack he was forced to take time off. Not because he could no longer do his duties. It was simply the way things were done. Itachi's injuries were all fully healed by the highly trained, chakra-using medical staff on the same night he went to the hospital. It seemed as though the sword missed vital organs, but somehow his chakra had been drained a great deal. Either the person who attacked him missed vital areas, or he was toying with him.

Itachi closed his eyes and drowned in his music as he played. It was a sad melody, one that made Sasuke's heart ache. He approached his brother slowly and carefully, not wanting the music to stop. He let Itachi play to the end of the song before putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Itachi didn't turn around. He only sat there and took a deep breath. The two were often content with their silences.

"I'm sorry for what I said that night," Sasuke said after the long, comforting silence. "I was frustrated, and I took it out on you."

"I'm sorry for driving you to it," Itachi said, his eyes still on the black and white piano keys.

"No…" Sasuke said softly. "You were right…."

Itachi started to finger the keys gently, sliding his fingers from white key to black key and back again. "Is that why you looked so beat up the night I was attacked?" he asked softly. "Orochimaru again?"

"Yes," Sasuke said, shutting his eyes in shame. "You were right. I should have stayed home."

Sasuke's hands moved to Itachi's shoulders, and he started to give him a massage. Itachi didn't move. He only started to trace the black piano keys with his fingers. Yet after a few moments, he yielded to his brother's relaxing touch and leaned back until he was resting against Sasuke.

"You were right too," Itachi said softly. He tilted his head back so that Sasuke could look down into his pitch black eyes. "I am jealous…."

Sasuke froze in place, and Itachi sat up straight again, slipping out of Sasuke's hands. He started to play again. The silence between them would no longer be comforting.

--------

Gaara started to drift off in bed that night, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from him. He told Haku about the door, and Haku believed every word. He even offered to help him find it again.

"I'll miss you," Haku had said with a sad smile. "But that is where you belong. I'm sure you're a strong and wise ruler for your village."

Gaara inhaled and exhaled slowly. He started to drift off. There was a moment where he somehow knew he had fallen asleep and was passing into a dream. But when he opened his eyes again, the dream looked and felt so real. There, standing next to him on the glistening sand, was his sister Temari.

"The dreamer keeps his resting place to maintain all of time and space," she said. "The dreams of nine, they come to him and come together at his whim. If one you bring, don't still his breath, because inside is the same as death."

She was translating the incantations on the door for someone.

"The nine?" a serious voice said.

Gaara turned to see Shikamaru standing there. It was clear to Gaara that no one could see him.

"Neji, Shino, and I think it's referring to the nine demons," Shikamaru said.

"But Gaara's demon is gone," Temari sighed.

"This is troublesome to explain," Shikamaru yawned. He turned around and motioned to someone.

Gaara looked to the direction Shikamaru was motioning, and he saw Neji running over to them. Gaara couldn't help but notice how bright and full of life everyone looked. He hoped this wasn't a dream. He hoped he was actually seeing his own world.

"Could you explain that chakra system stuff again?" Shikamaru asked. "I'm no good at it. You elite Jounins like all this troublesome stuff…."

Neji nodded and turned to Temari. "You told us that Gaara had Shukaku in him since birth. To survive with a demon at such a young age, traces of Shukaku's energy would remain inside of Gaara for many years. The demon was only removed recently, so it makes sense that Shukaku would still be present in Gaara's body in some form."

"But this is all theory," Temari said.

"True," Neji said, looking back toward the large door. "But sometimes I see him," Neji said.

Gaara blinked and got closer. Had Neji really seen him in this world?

"There is so much energy behind that door that it's hard to see," Neji said. "There is something alive in there… something powerful. But aside from that, sometimes I also see faint glimpses of Gaara's body or chakra system. Then it disappears."

"Neji can see through anything," Shikamaru said, putting a hand on Neji's shoulder. "For him to suddenly stop seeing Gaara is strange."

"But there is one thing I'm certain of," Neji said, his bright white eyes strong and serious. "He's dying."

Gaara sat up in bed suddenly. The desert was gone. Neji, Shikamaru, Temari… all of them were gone. He was back in his room in this dreary, dark world. Sweat was pouring from his body. Gaara had never feared death since childhood, but there was something so horrible about dying in this place.

Information would no longer be enough. He'd have to find a way to escape the village and find the door again. But something told him it would be harder than just sneaking away.

---To Be Continued---

(Chapter 3 was posted not long before this one. Make sure you didn't miss it!)


	5. Cold

**Mirror of Beyond: part V: Cold**

Gaara sat there in the dark of the front room again. The curtains were open, revealing the gloomy sky outside. So early in the day, yet so dark. Everything was dark.

He sat and wondered about his village. How were they doing without him? Had the other countries found out he was missing? Was Kankuro disguising himself and acting in his place for now? How long did it take Temari to come to the painful decision of risking Konoha's help? That meant passing along the information that he was gone. Though he trusted Konoha, that was always a risky thing to do.

But Konoha had people better equipped to see through the door without opening the door. The people he saw in his sleep… the visions. Shino, with his small insect army that might be able to crawl through. Shikamaru who could manipulate the shadows and perhaps reach him, and whose intelligence was unsurpassed. And Neji, whose eyes could see through anything and who had the most finely tuned chakra system in the known world. There were probably more people there, but Gaara stayed focused on Neji when he thought of him.

He hadn't been seeing them as much. Had they given up on him? He so seldom saw those ghostly figures now. Or maybe it had more to do with him than them. He felt his body losing strength day by day. But it was all happening so slowly. It was there, and he felt it, but it was so subtle.

The desert. The door. He wouldn't make it on his own in this condition. It took a ninja three days to reach the Sand Village. It would take any normal person much longer. And now, he was one of those normal people.

And the loneliness was getting unbarable. Even with Haku and Sasuke and Obito around so constantly, he felt it burning his soul. He was conflicted. He liked them and valued friendships with them, but he knew he wanted to go home. He knew he would have to leave them, and that getting close to them now would only hurt him later. Yet he couldn't deny them. He felt the loneliness of losing those in his own world, and the sting of knowing he would lose the people he met here who accepted him so fully. But it was so painful to be in this world and see the faces of people he knew from home, especially when they were different in a way he didn't like.

His village…. The days had been so nice when he left…. The paperwork was probably getting out of control…. He missed the hugs Temari gave him that he pretended not to like….

He suddenly felt an invisible blanket of warmth against his body. It wrapped around him gently, and he felt a soft pulse from it. It was chakra. Chakra expertly moved and guided to detect the owner's surroundings. Gaara closed his eyes and sank back into the couch, letting the warmth block out the coldness of his room. When he opened his eyes again he saw the ghostly figure of Neji, kneeling down with his eyes closed and his hands pressed against the floor in front of him. In Gaara's own world, Neji was there at the door, pouring his chakra through it.

"Are you looking for me?" Gaara whispered.

Neji lowered his head as if in thought, his faint, blurry features shadowed by his long, dark hair. And soon Gaara felt the chakra around him grow in strength. Neji could feel him. He had connected with him. If anyone else had attempted this, the chakra around Gaara could have hurt him or confused his senses. But like Neji, the chakra was strong, yet gentle.

A chill hit Gaara when the chakra wavered. Neji's image started to fade. Before the link between them was severed, Gaara watched helplessly as Neji slumped forward and collapsed. The room was cold and lonely again. Gaara's heart started to ache.

How long had Neji been there, trying to find him? How much chakra had he used? And why was he doing this? There were so many reasons he could be doing this. Gaara knew Neji was acting out of duty and discipline, and that he would do anything in his power to complete his objective.

But deep down, Gaara hoped Neji truly wanted to find him. It was only then that Gaara realized just how much he wanted to see Neji, and just how deeply he felt about him. What a fool he was, to want someone he didn't even have a good friendship with yet. Someone who would probably never give him a second thought if and when he was returned to his world.

The room grew darker still.

Suddenly, a hand closed on his shoulder. Gaara's head snapped to the side and he nearly fell off of the couch in surprise.

"Going out into the desert again will get you no where," a low voice said. "No matter where you are in this world, you are still behind the door."

Gaara felt a dark aura, and saw Sasuke's sillouette in the darkness just before the figure vanished entirely, leaving Gaara alone in the room. Somehow, the Sasuke from his world had crossed over… but unlike Gaara, he could escape.

* * *

He slowly pulled the razor across the skin of his naked thigh. The pale skin slowly slit open, and out came the warm, red blood. He watched it spread in the bathwater slowly, like a red dragon spreading itself lazily in the air. The sharp ache was the most beautiful thing in his life right now. That red color affirmed his existence. He wished that he could just slit his wrists and get it over with. He wanted to die slowly and peacefully here in the hot, soothing bath, letting everything fade to black nothingness. But it just wouldn't be enough. He wanted the pain. He wanted to hurt and suffer. He owed her that much for not getting to her in time. 

The razor slowly cut into his other thigh as he relived the nightmarish night of a few days before. He had lost his sanity as his uncle made him bleed and as his beloved Hanabi screamed for help and mercy from her sister's room. Neji couldn't remember when his own rape ended, or how he got back to his room, but he woke up on his bedroom floor, covered with his uncle's semen and his own blood.

It had hurt all over to move, but he did it anyway. He wrapped a blanket around himself and went quickly to Hanabi's room. Finding that she wasn't in her little fairy tale room, he went to Hinata's room and opened the door without permission. The room was empty, but it was practically in ruins. Evidence of Hanabi's struggle was everywhere. Broke lamps and glass, the sheets torn from the bed, objects thrown.

Hanabi's ripped clothes on the floor….

"She isn't here," Hinata said from the doorway in a cruel, amused tone. "She's in the hospital, of course."

Neji turned slowly, his hatred nearly driving him to rip Hinata limb from limb. "What did you do to her?" he demanded.

"You missed a great show," Hinata smirked. "But I didn't participate. I only took some pictures for you." She handed him an envelope. "So you'll always remember the day you failed to be there."

Neji glared at her, fire in his eyes. He pushed past her and returned to his own room, closing the door behind him. He slowly sat down on the floor and stared at the envelope in his hands. His hands started to tremble, and he found himself afraid to open it. But he knew it was the only way to know. Slowly, he slid his finger under the flap and opened it, gently taking the pictures with his eyes closed. He took a deep breath and spread the pictures out onto the floor before opening his eyes.

His tormented cry echoed throughout the house.

He broke down into tears over the photos of his beautiful, once innocent Hanabi. In every picture, her small, delicate frame was being utterly violated. The tears, the shame, the confusion… all of it was caught in every single image. Neji looked away, his arms wrapped around himself as she sobbed uncontrollably. How could Hinata have done this to her own sister? How could she have watched something so barbaric? And who was the merciless man who had raped such a young, innocent girl?

Neji slowly looked to the pictures again to find the identity of the one who had committed this crime. But Hinata was sure never to capture his face. Neji looked away again, digging his hands into his long hair. He remembered Hanabi's screams and cries for help. He remembered the way they grew weaker as the hours passed. But what he couldn't remember was when they had stopped altogether.

And now she was in the hospital, and he was unable to go to her. Anytime he tried to leave, he felt the seal on his forehead start to burn until he could no longer move. He was always being watched.

He looked down into his bathwater, which was growing more and more red. He moved the small razor to his stomach and cut his skin again, savoring the pain of existence. It took many such cuts before he was ready to leave the tub.

He put a robe on and headed for his room, but Hinata stopped him in the hallway.

"Neji," she said softly as she backed him against a wall. "You'll sleep with me tonight," she said, her hands slipping into his robe. "I'll make you feel better."

He forcefully pushed her away. "Don't touch me," he said lowly. "Activate my seal, torture me, do what you will. But I would take all of that before accepting your hands on my body."

"Would you accept Hanabi's then?" Hinata said, her expression darkening.

"It isn't like that and you damn well know it!" Neji snapped. "I love her as if she were my sister, which is more than you ever did for her. She is the only one in this family I truly live for. Nothing you do or say can ever make me care for you! Every time you so much as brush past me I feel ill!"

Hinata's expression had grown very evil and ugly. "If she's all you live for, then just kill yourself right now." She started to laugh bitterly. "You idiot," she laughed. "You incredible idiot! Did you really think I would take the little bitch to the hospital?"

Neji's eyes widened, sadness melting away his rage. "No…" his whispered, his voice pained. "You sent her away already…."

Hinata smirked. "No, of course not," she said in mock gentleness.

Neji couldn't help the relief he felt for an instant, and Hinata was glad to see it, because now she could hurt him all over again.

"She's in the picnic area," Hinata said lowly. "I told her that if you really loved her you would go to her. But I suppose I forgot to mention it to you…."

"You left her out in the cold… for all these days?" Neji said in disbelief. He ran to his room to get dressed. Hinata followed him slowly. She waited outside his door for him, and it wasn't long before he burst out and hurried down the hall. He was almost around the corner when Hinata called out to him.

"Take a shovel," she called.

Neji stopped and turned slowly to stare at her. Something felt so wrong. His heart started to beat rapidly at her words. Soon he was running out of the house as fast as he could, and Hinata did nothing to stop him.

He didn't stop until he reached the gloomy picnic area. The rain was pouring heavily now, but he ignored it. He looked around frantically, but didn't call her name. He couldn't speak her name. He couldn't tell himself that she wouldn't be right there waiting. He wouldn't let reason or logic speak to him now. She would be right there and she would be perfectly fine!

He turned this way and that and looked behind every tree and bush he passed. More than once he tripped over rocks and tree roots. His heart was pounding out of his chest, but he still wouldn't call her name.

He went back out into the clearing and slipped in the mud, landing in it and drenching himself. He pushed himself up and found himself staring at a large mound of dirt that was growing muddier by the second. Next to it… was a shovel.

Thunder cracked overhead as Neji's body shivered. He stared at the mound, frozen.

"Hanabi!" he yelled suddenly. He put his face into his muddy hands for a moment and then looked around. She would come to him! She would! She would come out! "HANABI!" he yelled again.

But there was only the roar of thunder and wind and rain. He sat as if paralyzed before a torrent of desperation overcame him. As if he had gone mad, he started to claw at the mound of mud. He threw chunks of it aside and dug deeper and deeper at the large mound with his hands. Deeper and deeper, coating himself with it, tossing it aside, hoping to find nothing.

His hands touched something soft and he shut his eyes but kept digging. More mud. Then more softness. Then more mud and dirt and water. Softness… like flesh. Then… hair.

Neji's eyes snapped open and he yelled out in anguish as he pulled Hanabi's muddy body from the ground. He held her cold, naked, stiff form to his body and cried. Her eyes had been open, her mouth contorted into a permanent scream, her hands curled to claw away at the mud. She had been buried alive.

"NO!" Neji cried out as he cradled her corpse.

The only one who ever loved him was gone now. And she had suffered so much. He could do nothing for her. And she had been forced into the earth, hoping he would save her. But he never came.

"Why?" he cried. "Why you? Why you?"

A hand suddenly touched his head and he bent over Hanabi's body, holding her tightly to him.

"No!" he cried out. "Get away!"

"She's dead," the other person said. "Let her go."

"No!" Neji yelled again. "She's all I have!"

"Let her go in peace," the person said gently as he started to pull Neji away. "Come on. Let her spirit rest."

"I want to go with her," Neji said. "Kill me and just let me go with her!"

"She would only weep from heaven if you tried," the young man said.

Suddenly, Neji felt something like a needle pierce his neck, and then everything went dark.

* * *

Gaara was only mildly surprised when Haku arrived at his door looking very muddy, and with an even more muddy and unconscious Neji on his back. 

"Look what I found," Haku said with a weak smile. "Mind helping me?"

Gaara nodded and helped Haku get Neji washed up and into Gaara's bed.

"Maybe we should move him to my place," Haku said, looking concerned.

"No," Gaara said, perhaps too quickly. "I will watch him."

"He will be hard to handle," Haku said. "When I found him he was holding a girl's dead body in his arms. Someone he clearly cared about. She was murdered. Buried alive."

Gaara blinked in surprise and looked down at Neji's sleeping face, which held vast pain and suffering even in his unconscious state.

"I will be fine," Gaara said. "I will watch him."

Haku looked to Gaara for a moment before nodding. "Come to me if there is any trouble," he said seriously. "Anything at all. I'm going to go bury her properly," he said as he rose. "I can't leave her out there like that. I'll come by again tomorrow."

Gaara nodded and watched Haku leave. Haku was such a kind spirit in every way.

Neji groaned in his sleep but didn't wake up. As Gaara watched him sleep he kept remembering the way the Neji from his own world had collapsed. His heart started to ache, but he couldn't tell which one of them he was more worried for.

* * *

Orochimaru looked up when someone knocked on the door to his office. People seldom came to him unless he called them first. 

"Enter," he said as he closed his notes on human mutilation and manipulation.

He smiled wickedly as Uchiha Itachi walked inside. Pride of his clan, and stunning to look at, Orochimaru would know him anywhere.

"What can I do for you, Itachi?" Orochimaru asked with a snake-like grin.

"I've come to make a request, Hokage-sama," Itachi said. "It will be brief."

"What could it be?" Orochimaru mused.

"I've come to humbly request that you stop fucking my brother," Itachi said, his eyes hateful, but his face otherwise calm. "I know what you've been doing to him."

"Do you now?" Orochimaru said with a smile as if it were no surprise. "How brave of you to come here, Itachi. After all, we both know you can't stop me."

Itachi said nothing. He only stood there. Orochimaru chuckled to himself and stood, walking around his desk and leaning back on the front of it. He took a good long look at Itachi.

"So few people come to make demands," Orochimaru said, looking somewhat thoughtful. "Normally they threaten or beg or some other nonsense before getting to the point. This is quite refreshing."

Itachi stood as still as a statue. Anything he said or did could work against him. But Orochimaru just chuckled softly and went back to his seat.

"Very well then," he said, looking thoroughly amused. "He is spared."

Itachi blinked, looking doubtful.

"I give my word," Orochimaru said. "Besides, I have other toys. Some more willing than others."

Itachi opened his mouth to say something, but Orochimaru held up a hand to silence him.

"Keep in mind," Orochimaru said, "That I have spared Sasuke, and that was out of respect for you coming here. Had I wanted to keep him, there would have been nothing you could do. And for the others, there is nothing you or anyone can do. So there is nothing more to say on the matter."

Itachi shut his eyes in pure frustration, but bowed deeply and left the room.

* * *

Gaara had fallen asleep against the wall beside Neji's sleeping body, which he had meant not to do for his own safety. Neji had only in passing mentioned Hanabi, but it was only in those moments when it seemed he still had a heart left in his chest. And now she was gone. There was no knowing what was left of him. Gaara had meant to move to the couch because the loss of his chakra was making him so tired, but instead he drifted off here in the darkening room. 

He was awoken by his name being whispered, and when he opened his eyes, Neji was kneeling in front of him in the low lighting, his face inches away. His eyes were slightly red with tears, which made the white irises stand out even more. His hands were clamped on Gaara's shoulders. Slowly, Neji leaned in and brushed his lips against Gaara's.

The shock of the sensation made Gaara reach up and grab Neji's wrists. "What are you doing?" Gaara asked, more emotionless than he meant to sound. But he didn't feel emotionless. He felt panicked. No one had ever dared to get that close to him.

"Just for a little while…" Neji whispered.

He kissed Gaara again, this time with a deeper need behind the kiss. Gaara's eyes were wide with shock. He couldn't do this…. There were more important things to focus on. He had to get home. He couldn't do this to someone who wasn't thinking straight. He couldn't do this when he, himself, wasn't thinking straight….

"I can't," Gaara said when the kiss was broken. "This isn't appropriate…."

But Neji paid no attention. He brought his head down to Gaara's neck and bit gently. Gaara's entire body gave a jolt against the wall behind him.

"Relax," Neji said softly.

Gaara meant to push him away, but then he felt Neji's tears against his skin. He didn't have the heart to do anything as Neji's lips touched his throat. And there was no denying the fact that his touch, for this brief instant, filled a deep void. He could close his eyes and ignore his loneliness for a short, blissful time. He could pretend that he was needed by someone… just for now.

"I want you…" Neji whispered in his ear.

Gaara opened his blue eyes slowly. Reality tore him from the moment. The lie was too great.

"You aren't him…" Gaara whispered without thinking. He shut his eyes as if it could somehow lock out the pain.

Neji leaned back and stared at him for a moment. "You have someone?" he asked, a bitter smile crossing his lips.

Gaara opened his eyes, but stared off to the side.

"The room is dark," Neji smirked as he leaned in close again. "Pretend I'm him."

Gaara looked at Neji as though he had wounded him somehow. "I can't do that…" Gaara said, his calm voice faltering to disbelief and hurt.

"Why not?" Neji asked, reaching out and caressing Gaara's cheek. His touch was gentle, but there was something very dark in his tone. "Don't you think about him? Don't you wonder what it would be like to feel him again?" He kissed Gaara softly. "Close your eyes… and pretend…."

It was out of conflict that Gaara shut his eyes. He had to shut this moment out.

"Pretend…" Neji said again. "And just give me this brief moment without pain…."

But Gaara could do no such thing. He could feel Neji's long hair touching his skin, and he could see those white eyes and hear that deep voice. But in the end, this did nothing but highlight the fact that this was not the same person he desired. Even with all of the physical similarities, no amount of pretending could hide this lie.

But with this realization also came the harsh reality that the one he desired didn't desire him. This was the closest he would ever come to feeling his touch…. And, he might not ever actually see him, or home, again. It was this thought, this feeling of overwhelming hopelessness, that allowed Gaara to yield to Neji's rough, demanding kiss.

Gaara suddenly pulled Neji against him and the hard, devouring kiss continued. He didn't care about his own lack of experience. All he wanted to do was get rid of his loneliness and pain. His body expressed the desperate need he felt in his heart. It also hungered for a release never granted to him, not only because he lived a life where everyone feared him, but also because the cursed sand hardly ever let him feel genuine human touch.

The vulnerability was overwhelming. It was the only thing that made Gaara want to stop. But the sensations of being touched all over made him accept the moment fully. He was no longer even sure it felt good as they painfully grabbed and roughly kissed out of feelings or desperation and pain, but the feeling of being desired, right now, was enough.

Neji pulled Gaara away from the wall and the two managed to make it to the floor in the center of the room. Gaara was pushed roughly onto his back before Neji claimed his lips again, forcing his tongue deep into his mouth. Gaara felt the strands of Neji's long hair brushing against him. An echo of the person he once knew. And suddenly Gaara felt a wave of defiance. If he couldn't have the one he wanted he would use what he was given. He felt angry at the heavens for taking away the life he once knew. He dug his hand into the hair at the back of Neji's head and pulled him downward. As he took possession of those long strands of hair… those familiar yet unfamiliar strands… he forced his tongue up into Neji's mouth as far as it would reach.

Neji suddenly broke the kiss and pushed Gaara down against the floor. He moved down Gaara's body and pulled his pants down just enough to reveal the growing hardness there. There were no preliminaries. Not a moment wasted. There was nothing delicate or intimate. There was only lust born from pain. Gaara arched his back off the floor when he felt Neji's lips wrap around him. Neji's pace was merciless, and Gaara's breaths rushed out of him in desperate gasps. He could perceieve nothing but the sensations now. There was no time to savor these new feelings or the loss of his virginity. He no longer cared for anything. The only thing his mind and body knew right now was Neji's mouth sliding back and forth.

Neji's experience was made apparent when he took Gaara fully down his throat. A deep groan slipped past Gaara's lips, and when Neji came back up again there were streams of white flowing from the corners of his mouth. Gaara's body slumped down against the floor as he panted heavily. His thoughts started to return to him, but soon they would be replaced by harsh sensations once more.

He felt himself rolled onto his stomach, and still lost in the moment, he let it happen. He felt his pants pulled over his backside, and knew that Neji was only revealing enough of himself to take what he wanted. He let his own saliva be the only lubricant. And as he positioned himself, he reached down and clamped a hand over Gaara's mouth. Gaara didn't realize why until Neji thrust down into him violently. A brief cry of pain erupted from Gaara's mouth, but was immediately muffled.

The pain was unlike any he'd ever felt in any battle. It was violation, humilation, and guilt. It was born from his own surrender, and for that he let it happen. It would be his punishment.

Neji tore into his body until he could hardly breathe or think straight. The pain was unbarable, especially to someone like Gaara who knew so little of physical pain. Gaara felt hot tears running down his cheeks, and his cries and moans of pain continued to be muffled into Neji's hand. The moment seemed to extend and slow, and in that time Gaara thought of all the physical pain people felt in their lifetimes that he would never feel.

Neji thrust one final time, buring himself into Gaara just as roughly as he had the entire violent deed. Gaara tried to catch his breath when Neji's hand slid away from his face. It tore and hurt him when Neji pulled out. Neither of them spoke. The deed was done. There had been no closeness or euphoria. It was painful and distant and rushed and cold, but there had been that irrational desire that spread like an infection.

The reality in which they lived suddenly hit them hard. Nothing had changed. What they had just done only made it worse. They felt even more worthless and empty than they had before it began. Gaara couldn't pretend.

But this didn't stop them from repeating this mistake again and again and again.

* * *

"I wonder what's wrong?" Rin whispered to Kakashi. "Maybe an invasion is coming?" 

"Seems like it," Kakashi whispered back as they looked around the room at their fellow Jounin and many of the more powerful Chuunin. "This is quite the gathering."

The room was deep underground, and many of them had been gathered here for an important announcement. Orochimaru often did things like this when he wanted his plans to be secretive. Normally it had to do with the war and with Konoha defending from invaders… or being the invaders themselves. The crowd, which had grown quite large, chatted amongst themselves as they waited.

Suddenly a small group of people entered from the main doors. The room felt silent at the site of them. There were only five, but they were far from normal. There was a woman with a flute. She looked normal enough. So did the large man standing with her. But the other three were odd. One man carried something on his back. It looked like the head of another person that was slumped over in slumber. Another man had six arms. But the last was the most intriguing of all. He was very handsome, with white hair and stunning eyes and a gentle looking face. Most eyes were on him. The others looked repulsive standing next to him.

"Seal the doors," the handsome one said to them. And the doors were sealed in an instant.

"It's those people we've been seeing," Rin whispered. "The Sound…."

But Kakashi was looking around the room. "Obito is late, as usual," he said.

Truthfully, Kakashi felt uneasy. And when he felt uneasy he wanted Rin and Obito by his side.

An eerie feeling fell over the room, and the large group realized that Orochimaru was looking down at them from the second floor balcony.

"Konoha is undergoing many changes," Orochimaru smirked down at them. "Unfortunately, I think many of you might protest or get in my way. It is very unfortunate, as many of you are the best ninja I have ever seen. But change comes at a price." He glanced to the white haired one. "Kimimaro, if you will."

The one called Kimimaro nodded and looked out over the large crowd. "With talent such as this," he said softly to the four behind him, "I believe the second stage of the curse seal is in order."

Kakashi slowly started to pull Rin to the back of the room.

"We have to get out," he whispered to her.

"Why? What's wrong?" she blinked.

"I don't know," Kakashi replied. "But we have to get out."

Suddenly the crowd shifted. Something was happening in the front. Murmurs went across the room. Kakashi felt the air grow tense. Those five Sound ninja were up to something at the front of the crowd, but he didn't turn around to find out what it was. He only continued to slowly pull Rin to the back.

Suddenly yells and screams erupted into the air. Without waiting to see the cause Kakashi swiftly took Rin's hand and ran with her to the doors at the very back of the massive room. But they had been bolted from the other side.

"Kakashi…" Rin gasped, turning back to look at the chaos. "What is that…?"

Kakashi glanced back and then froze in horror. It was as if a massive spider web had suddenly spring up in the room. It went from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. The group was caught and tangled in it. Some of them were wrapped up like bugs in a real web.

"We're being executed," Kakashi said angrily. "Orochimaru is planning something… and he doesn't want any opposition."

Rin couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene. Several jets of fire, breathed from the lungs of experienced Jounin, burst into the air and at the attackers. Kunai and shuriken flew from all directions. But none of their elite ninja could put a dent in these five. And then Rin saw them. All except for the white-haired one, Kimimaro, had turned into demons.

The largest one effortlessly punched his fists straight through anyone who get too close. Rin felt a spasm go through her when she heard each sickening cruch of rib cages being broken and organs being destroyed.

Those caught in the web were being slowly done away with, one by one. The six-armed man threw large golden stakes at them, aiming for vital organs that would leave them suffering a slow death. The woman with the flute stood watching indifferently. Rin knew that she would be back-up in the event something happened. But it was clear that the large group of shinobi was losing.

The strongest taijutsu users in all of Konoha tried to fight the attacks off, but their attacks were of no use. The five couldn't feel them. Genjutsu, ninjutsu… all of it was ineffective.

Kakashi finally understood as he glared up at Orochimaru. And Orochimaru was staring back at him with a dark smile. They both knew that Orochimaru was helping without looking as though he was doing anything. He was creating his illusions of horror and fear to confuse and weaken the entire group. That was why so many attacks were weakened and so many weapons were missing their targets. Orochimaru was playing with them.

"K… Ka…" Rin uttered.

Kakashi looked to her and felt himself take a step back. Rin was wincing in pain as she hunched over. And there at her neck was another head laughing wildly. It looked like the head of one of the men from the Sound Five. The one who looked as though another body had been attached to his back. But now Kakashi saw him fusing with Rin.

She screamed and clunched at her stomach, then her chest. Kakashi had a weapon drawn but couldn't think of where to strike.

"Ka… ka… shi…" Rin whispered in terror.

Kakashi growled and grabbed at the throat of the second head. "Release her!" he yelled.

"It's too late," the man's head laughed. "Too late!"

Suddenly a fist hit Kakashi in the stomach. He stumbled backwards to see the man's arm. It had burst from Rin's stomach and hit him. By now poor Rin was screaming in pain. In the seconds it took for Kakashi to run back to her, it was as though she imploded. Her insides compacted themselves, then expanded rapidly, and her final scream was gargled as pieces of her flesh splattered all over the floor.

Now it was just the man standing there, having fused with the pieces of her that he wanted. But Kakashi knew… Rin was dead.

It was all so simple for them. Kakashi hardly thought it was real. The people in this group had been some of the best in the village. He knew that he, too, was among the best. And yet it had been so simple for this to happen. With a burst of anger he held one hand out to his side and charged it with his lightning chakra. Sparks flew from his hand, and then came the sound of a thousand birds as the chakra became more powerful. Kakashi ran forward towards the one who stole Rin's life from her.

But the man was already gone. Too fast. Faster than any normal human being could every be, no matter how well trained. Kakashi had missed, and now he was wide open. His eyes just couldn't follow, and his body couldn't adjust fast enough.

But it was not Rin's murderer who came for him. The white-haired young man, Kimimaro was behind him now. The lightning in Kakashi's hand had died by the time he spun around. Even with his sharp senses and his incredible speed, he felt a sharp sword pierce his body all too quickly. Kimimaro had no expression as he thrust the bone-like white sword through Kakashi's body.

Not one to go down easily, Kakashi threw a punch at Kimimaro's face, but before it connected Kakashi had been hit several more times in the chest. He looked down to see what looked like Kimimaro's own ribs, lengthened and protruding from his chest, stabbing him.

As he felt the blood pouring from his body, Kakashi looked to his side to see his comrades falling. The web, which they couldn't break, was holding countless dead bodies, many of them in skattered pieces. The Sound Five took on a more human form again, and Kakashi realized that he had been one of the last.

As his vision darkened, just before death took hold of him, he had one last thought that seemed curiously comforting.

Obito, today I forgive you for being so late….

---To Be Continued---

(Sorry about taking so long! I've been very busy! Thank you for all of the comments though!)


	6. Detest

**Mirror of Beyond: part VI: Detest**

Sasuke walked into the house from the market that morning wearing bright red. The music was playing again. A somber melody. Itachi played so much these days to clear his head, but the music only seemed to reflect more and more pain. He also hadn't spoken much to Sasuke in a long time. He only looked at him as though it hurt to see him. Sasuke felt the distance between them growing. He only wanted his brother back.

The somber melody grew louder in Sasuke's ears as he walked into the large room. The light of the sun barely made it though the clouds to light the dim room. As usual, Itachi didn't acknowledge him. He only played on. And as usual, Sasuke walked up behind him and waited for the song to end.

But the song only seemed to continue, and the sadness of it filled the air. It was making Sasuke's heart ache to see Itachi this way. He put his hands on Itachi's shoulders as he played… waiting, wanting the song to die or at least drain of its sadness.

"Let's do something…" Sasuke said finally, when the song still hadn't ended.

Itachi didn't miss a beat. He kept playing. "Forgive me, Sasuke. Another time…."

"Always 'another time,'" Sasuke said with a small, patient smile.

He slowly wrapped his arms around Itachi's shoulders and rested his chin on Itachi's head. And then there was a sound… as though Itachi had missed a note. Yet he kept playing.

"You're distracting me," Itachi said softly.

"Good," Sasuke said. "Then you'll stop playing…."

He gently brushed his fingertips against the side of Itachi's neck and smiled as another note was fumbled.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked, annoyed. "Get off of me…."

"Orochimaru has been leaving me alone," Sasuke said cheerfully.

"Maybe he realized how annoying you are."

"Sometimes he made it feel really good," Sasuke continued. "He did it to humiliate me…."

Itachi missed several notes of his song and tensed up.

"Maybe," Sasuke continued, "he got tired of me calling out your name during those times."

Itachi's hands froze on the piano keys, and the song came to an abrupt end. Thick silence filled the air. Then suddenly Itachi stood up so quickly that Sasuke had to back away. The piano chair toppled to the floor. Itachi spun around and glared at him.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Itachi said.

Sasuke blinked and calmly picked up the piano chair and set it to the side. He then stood in front of Itachi again. He chanced moving closer and closer, even as Itachi glared at him fiercely. And then with Sasuke's face just inches away, they were looking into each other's eyes. Without tearing his eyes away, Sasuke leaned in a little closer, his lips barely touching Itachi's.

A long moment passed with them looking at each other this way. Itachi finally leaned a little closer, but just barely… not enough to seal his sin. He then pulled away and turned around, resting his hands on the piano with a deep sigh.

Sasuke shook his head and smiled gently. He slowly walked to the door. "Another time…" he said before leaving the room.

* * *

Haku sat staring at the pretty blonde girl in front of him. She stared back at him for a few moments, just as perplexed as he was. He blinked for a moment, confused. She was certainly stunning to look at, with long blonde hair and a beautiful body fitted with black, leaving her arms and stomach and her legs from mid-thigh down exposed. No, there was nothing odd about all of that. What was odd was the fact that she magically appeared next to him at the balcony in front of their apartments. 

It was just then that Gaara stepped outside of his apartment and stared at the two. But to Haku's surprise, Gaara looked more startled than he had been at her appearance. And Gaara hadn't even been present when she materialized out of no where. The girl turned and stared at him for a long moment.

Haku opened his mouth to say something when he felt a burst of energy behind him. It was the kind of feeling one got when a powerful opponent appeared. He turned slowly to see Sasuke standing there. But at the same time, Sasuke looked very much unlike Sasuke. He was very cold looking, and his clothing was much less modest.

"You missed, Ino," Sasuke said. His voice wasn't cheerful like the Sasuke Haku had befriended. It was flat, cold, and unfeeling.

Ino looked at Sasuke with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but caught herself, remembering the mission at hand. "Missed?" she asked. "Where… is this?"

"You're inside of it," Sasuke said. "Only those who can project their mind or will or enough of their power can see inside the door." Sasuke pointed to Gaara. "In your attempts to get into his mind, your mind transfer jutsu hit something else instead. You're now part of the consciousness. Like me, you are only here in spirit. A projection of your true self. Spend too much time here, and you'll die."

Sasuke suddenly disappeared. Gaara guessed that the Konoha squads didn't even know he was in the area near the door. The Sound in his world probably got word that Gaara was missing and sent Sasuke to investigate. But for whatever reason, Gaara didn't think that Sasuke would tell them his village's defenses were down.

Ino was still disoriented and Gaara didn't blame her. She was in the desert one moment, then thrown into this world with him. But unlike him, her body was still on the other side of the door. Back in the world he so wanted to return to.

Suddenly Ino turned to him. "Gaara," she said. "We're going to try to open the path again to get you out. Don't fight when it happens!"

And then she was gone.

Haku stood there, staring at the spot she disappeared from. "So what do you do now?" he asked, not dwelling on the awkwardness of it all.

"I have to wait," Gaara said calmly. He looked at Haku for a moment. "If I found a way to get you to my world, would you come?"

Haku blinked and smiled gently. "Perhaps," he said. "Either way, I have very little to lose."

* * *

The rain poured down on him, and the thunder cracked overhead, just as it had when he found her body buried in the ground. He walked as an empty vessel, entering the Hyuuga household and making his way to Hanabi's room. He closed the door behind him and sat on her bed slowly. The room still had her clean, floral scent. The origami and lanterns still hung from the ceiling, as fragile and beautiful as she had been. The books he never got to read her were stacked neatly on her desk. And she had so wanted to finish those stories…. She always had to have a happy ending, or she would make her own. 

But never again.

Neji put his face into his hands and took a deep breath. He would give anything to have her back. He would take her pain into himself just to see her smile again. The only one who loved him without fail.

He heard the door open slowly and he heard someone step inside. He didn't take his hands away from his face. There was no one left in this house he would care to see. His pride broken, he started to sob into his hands as Hanabi's wind chimes sounded just outside.

The person was standing in front of him now. A hand gently touched his shoulder. And then the bed shifted with weight as the person sat next to him. That gentle hand moved to his back and rested there patiently. Feeling no malice or pressure or force, Neji slowly looked to his side.

"Itachi…?" Neji blinked in surprise.

Itachi sat there in his ANBU uniform, blood drying on his vest. Aside from the warmth of his hand on Neji's back, he looked as cold as ever.

"Did they tell you I killed her?" Neji asked, a stray tear running down his cheek.

"I'm not here for you," Itachi said. "Your cousin's death is a Hyuuga clan matter and I am sure Orochimaru will do nothing. The only reason I know about it is because I heard Haku tell Sasuke."

Neji nodded sadly and looked down at the floor. He didn't have the energy to try to scare Itachi off today. In fact, he felt safer with him around.

"I'm here to inform you about your uncle's death," Itachi said, looking at Neji seriously. "I was there to help destroy his body earlier."

"…What?" Neji asked, looking into Itachi's pure black eyes.

Itachi nodded stoically. "He was killed. Orochimaru would probably have you all believe it was on a mission or as a sacrifice to this village. But he was murdered, just like so many others who might oppose whatever it is Orochimaru plans to do with this village." He slid his hand to Neji's shoulder and gripped a little tighter. "Tell no one I said this," Itachi continued.

Something dawned on Neji and he felt a swell of pity. "Your father…."

"My father was spared," Itachi said. "He is too obedient to Orochimaru to be killed. For that you may pity my family."

Neji sat there, still taking in what he had heard. Confusion turned slowly into a dark sense of satisfaction. His tears were drying up. "How did he die?" Neji asked.

"When I saw him he was beyond saving," Itachi said. "His intestines had been ripped out of his body and were lying all over the place. Most of his fingers were missing. One of his eyes was torn out. I suppose it was the pain or fear that caused him to lose his control of his bodily functions."

Neji sat and listened, wondering if Itachi was always so graphic when delivering this kind of report to families.

"He suffered to no end," Itachi said. He then looked into Neji's surprised eyes. "And while I was supposed to end that misery, I sat there and watched him die slowly. When he begged me to end it, I asked him how many times his family had begged him to stop hurting them. And then he truly suffered."

There was a creak in the doorway and Neji realized that someone was there. He looked up to see Hinata in tears, horrified. She ran down the hall and into her room. The door slammed loudly and echoed throughout the house. Neji looked to Itachi, but Itachi showed no regret. He knew she had been there to hear every word.

"He was just like Orochimaru…" Itachi whispered, more to himself than to Neji. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Wait…" Neji said as he stood up from the bed. "I can never repay you for what you've done already. I'll do anything in my power to try. But before that--" he looked to a picture of Hanabi and him that sat on her table, "--there is one more person I want to see suffering." He looked to Itachi, his eyes ablaze. "Help me take my revenge and I'll do anything you ask."

Itachi turned to him. "Your uncle was already dying with no hope of survival. It's different to take someone's life."

"She'll kill me," Neji whispered. "Hinata will kill me out of rage the moment you leave this house."

Neji's eyes were determined, but Itachi could see the fear in them. He was really serious.

"Hinata and Uncle Hizashi always supported Orochimaru," Neji said softly. "Now that he is dead she'll be the head of the clan. She'll support Orochimaru faithfully and our entire clan will be behind him. You know how strong the trained members of this clan get. The majority of Orochimaru's victories are because of this clan."

Itachi suddenly looked as though he tasted something bitter. Something seemed to twist in his chest.

"Neji," he said, his voice calm and smooth. "Is there anyone in this clan you're attached to?"

"The only one I cared for is dead," Neji growled. "Because of Hinata…."

"So you wouldn't miss them if they all disappeared?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Never…."

There was a sound from down the hall. Hinata's heavy footsteps came towards them. She stood in the doorway, ready to order Itachi to get out of her house. Ready to force Neji to surrender his body and will to her wishes.

But things didn't go as planned….

* * *

Sasuke had come for a visit, and he left with Haku and Gaara to set out for a quiet clearing in the dense forest. Gaara stood in the middle, and they stood out in the trees. Gaara had them stand there because he had no idea what might happen to them if they were too close to him. The ghostly figures of the people he knew from his world were more clear to him now. There were more of them. He knew they would be trying something soon. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sasuke, clad in bright yellow, smiling brightly and nudging Haku as he pointed to one of the figures. He was probably joking with Haku about how much the figure looked like Neji. If only he knew….

To Gaara's surprise, and happiness, he saw his older brother, Kankuro. Kankuro's figure wasn't half as bright as Neji's, but he would know that bulky build and strut anywhere.

"Um, Gaara," Sasuke pointed, looking worried. "Is that normal?"

Gaara turned around to see a figure in the distance, very bright and very clear, even with the transparency and ghostly glow. Blonde hair, determined gaze, and waves of chakra pouring from his body. It could be none other than Naruto.

They were going to try to open the door with Naruto's chakra….

"No…" Gaara whispered to himself. There was no way this could end well.

Suddenly Gaara felt as though he was being pulled and stretched out at all ends. He couldn't breathe, and he clutched at his chest as he sank to the ground slowly, gasping for air. Haku and Sasuke were on their feet, running to him. But Gaara shook his head and held up a hand to stop them. Haku, trusting his judgment grasped Sasuke's shoulders to bring them both to a halt.

Gaara felt his body shaking. Haku and Sasuke looked as though they were fading, and dozens of figures, invisible just seconds ago, became more apparent. He saw Neji quite clearly now as the clearing he was standing in started to transform into the desert. Neji had his Byakugan active, and he was pointing straight down. Following Neji's directions, Kankuro was trying to extend his chakra strings down into the ground. Shikamaru was trying to push his shadows down in the same area. Gaara understood now. They had opened a path in the massive door with Naruto's chakra, and Neji had spotted Gaara's body through the door. Shikamaru and Kankuro were trying to use their abilities to pull him out.

Temari was there, and dozens of other Sand and Leaf squads. But suddenly he saw Temari point to Naruto. Gaara swung around to see Naruto fighting something off. Even at his distance the snaking chakra was trying to draw him through the door. At that time a large white dog, Kiba's dog, leapt to his side. Naruto hopped on just in time to be carried far enough to be safe.

Gaara collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. The clearing came back into focus. Haku and Sasuke ran over to him to check on him.

"W… what did you see?" Gaara gasped.

"For a moment you looked like them," Sasuke replied. "You faded and became almost like a ghost. They were clearer than ever."

"Maybe we need to help them get you out," Haku suggested. "I'm not sure how, but there has to be a way."

Gaara marveled at the way they both believed this was all happening and took it so seriously. But there really was no arguing with the evidence. But Gaara had to admit that even he had a hard time believing this story, even if he was living it.

The three waited a long while for something else to happen, then returned home.

* * *

Sasuke arrived home just a few moments before Itachi. He had only finished taking off his shoes when the door opened and Itachi came inside, looking more distressed than Sasuke had ever seen him. He was breathing heavily, as though he'd been running for days, and his hair was a mess. His eyes were troubled, and became even more so when he saw Sasuke there. 

"What happened?" Sasuke asked. He reached out to brush a few strands of loose hair from Itachi's face, but Itachi quickly swatted his hand away as if he feared being struck.

Itachi quickly took his shoes off and went straight past Sasuke, down the hall and to the shower room. Sasuke didn't follow. Instead he waited inside Itachi's room until he was finished bathing. Itachi was normally able to get perfectly clean within a very short amount of time, but this time he lingered. There had to be something very wrong with him tonight. Sasuke could feel this better than anyone.

Itachi probably knew this, because he was not happy to find him in his room.

"Out," Itachi said, glaring at him.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, standing a few feet away.

"Out," Itachi said with more force.

"What happened?"

"Damnit Sasuke! Not tonight!" Itachi rose his voice, nearly frightening his brother. He had never sounded this way before. "Just get out! I need to be alone!"

"Why are your hands shaking?" Sasuke asked softly. But he was a little hurt by Itachi's yelling and found himself moving towards the door. Suddenly he stopped and turned to his older brother. "Did Orochimaru hurt you!?" he demanded.

At the sound of Orochimaru's name, Itachi wilted. He stared downward for a moment before getting down on the floor and sitting on his futon. Sasuke waited there, needing an answer.

"He hurt me," Itachi said bitterly. "But not in the same way he hurt you. He hurt me, but he wasn't even there tonight…."

"Just tell me what happened!" Sasuke asked desperately.

"You want to know?!" Itachi snapped. "You really want to know? Well, Sasuke, I'll tell you. I'll tell you because it will make you hate me. You'll hate me and never try to come close to me ever again. Maybe then things can be as they were."

Sasuke sat down in front of his bother and listened, as the events he never dreamed could happen unfolded. Itachi told his tale with the same cold expression on his face.

"I went to Neji's house to tell him that his uncle had died," Itachi began, "And that I had let him suffer into death. I had let him feel agony because he put Neji through agony. And when I thought of Neji in those situations, I thought of what Orochimaru was doing to you. It put me into a rage, and so I took my anger out on Lord Hiashi.

"Hinata heard every bit of what I said to Neji, and she was outraged. Outraged with me for having let her father feel that much pain. And outraged with Neji for taking relief in it. She came into the room -- the room of the sister she had recently murdered -- and demanded that I leave. Somehow Neji and I knew that after I was gone, she would kill him using the seal on his forehead. After that she would go on to lead the Hyuuga clan to join Orochimaru. All of these things increased my anger.

"I headed to the door as though I would leave, and she grabbed me by the arm as I passed her. She told me that she would tell Orochimaru what I had done. She said she would have me punished for daring to step into her house without permission. So many threats… and she probably would have carried them out….

"Angry that she would dare, I grabbed her wrist from my arm, and just like that," he made a slight movement with his hand, "I broke her wrist. I heard in snap and crunch, just like that. I realized how hard my grip had been. I instantly released her. But when she instinctively grabbed at her broken wrist with her other hand, I swiftly took it up and broke that wrist as well. She was screaming by now, cursing my name. Calling for help. And most importantly, she was charging her chakra. I took one of the poisoned needles from my pouch, and stabbed the side of her neck with it. Her chakra instantly went to work trying to keep her alive instead of preparing to attack me.

"Such a thing is normal for me as someone in ANBU. The sight itself was normal… to see someone in pain this way. But this was different. This wasn't duty, this was desire. This was hatred. But I knew without looking at him that Neji felt more hate than I ever could for her. He needed this more than I did. And he could do as he pleased, because she was no longer able to form the hand seals to kill him using the mark on his forehead.

"I dropped her to the floor, and he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the bed. I think I knew what he meant to do, but I didn't stop him. Perhaps I told myself he couldn't do it as I helped him tie her arms and legs to the bedposts. But when he took out a knife I knew he was serious. He cut her clothes from her body, undid his pants, and had his way with her. He was driven by control, and was drawing his lust from it. If she screamed too loud, he punched her with force he didn't seem to know he had. He used her until she was bleeding from practically every orifice she possessed. And the whole while I watched. It was a nightmare. Far too surreal and horrible to be true.

"Finally he came his final time, and while still inside of her he took up the knife again, and cut out her eyes. She was too shocked to scream. Too weak to do anything….

"It was far too demonic and cruel. Neji's eyes held nothing but an eerie, controlled madness. He looked to me, reminding me that the whole time he knew I had been there to witness his crimes.

"And then a smile crossed his lips, as if he could take no greater pleasure than going to hell with this on his soul…."

Sasuke stared at Itachi in a state of horror. "You let him do that?!" Sasuke exclaimed. "You just let him!? What the hell is wrong with you?! You should have stopped him and you damn well know it!"

Itachi smirked just slightly, his bitterness appearing again. "Sasuke… I wasn't done." He met his brothers eyes. "Neji cut her loose and tossed her battered body to the floor. Who better to help him get rid of it than me? It is an ANBU duty, right?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Get rid of the body?! She wasn't dead!"

"No," Itachi said. "Neji hadn't killed her. She's still alive now. One of the few shinobi in this village to get a coffin."

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. He stood up slowly as if wanting to run away. "Buried alive… just like she did to Hanabi…."

"But she's in a coffin," Itachi said. "She'll die more slowly that way…."

Sasuke suddenly turned and ran for the door, but Itachi had already planned this, and he leapt up and grabbed his younger brother, wrapping his arms around him from behind and firmly holding him in place.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Sasuke yelled.

"Who you plan to tell?" Itachi said in his ear. "She's bleeding to death in the ground, Sasuke."

"You're a ninja! Not a cold-blooded killer!"

"EXACTLY!" Itachi replied. His hands were shaking again. "I'm a ninja of this village. But with Orochimaru as the head what do I fight for?! There is no honor in this life! I'll destroy anything that makes him stronger! I'll destroy anyone like him in my path!"

"So you killed Hinata?!" Sasuke yelled accusingly. "Someone else will take her place as head of the Hyuuga clan and nothing will change! Orochimaru will still have them!"

"There is no more Hyuuga clan, Sasuke!" Itachi said, suddenly sounding wounded. As if his own words defeated him he let his forehead rest in Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke couldn't let himself comprehend those words. "No more--"

"I killed them…" Itachi whispered, barely audible. "After we buried her I left Neji alone. Then I went back and killed ever single man, woman, and child I saw from that clan."

Sasuke's breathing seemed to stop. "You're lying to me. This isn't funny! You're sick!"

But Itachi didn't let go of him. Sasuke could feel the heaviness in his brother's heart.

"I killed an entire clan…" Itachi said, overwhelming guilt in his voice. "Now I can only wait for someone to find out, then come punish me for it." He slowly let go of Sasuke and walked over to his futon, sitting with his back to Sasuke, looking towards the window.

Sasuke felt as though he couldn't hold himself up. He sank down to the floor again. "Why did you go this far?" he whispered.

Itachi didn't turn around. "We cling to this clan and to this village," he said softly. "But look how it limits us, Sasuke. I don't want to be a part of this anymore…." He sat silent for a moment. "You may hate me now, but maybe later you'll understand."

For once there was a sound that Sasuke heard and Itachi did not. One of the floorboards creaked slightly from down the hall outside of the room. Sasuke stood up and walked over to his older brother. He knelt down in front of him and put his arms on Itachi's shoulders. Sasuke waited for the moment their father opened the door before pulling Itachi into a kiss. When the kiss was broken, before their father stormed over to them, Sasuke whispered into Itachi's ear.

"Now he can hate us both. And now we both have reason to run and never look back."

* * *

Neji walked through the Hyuuga house with his entire body trembling with the weight of his sins. He couldn't get Hinata's frightened eyes out of his head. It was the one and only time she reminded of him Hanabi. But this was unwanted, because now he had to wonder if Hanabi had writhed under her attacker the way Hinata did under him. 

He slowly stepped over a dead child in one of the hallways of the large estate as though he were stepping over a stone. He had to do this many more times as he wandered… stepping over the bodies of his dead relatives. Itachi had freed him, and he was letting it all sink in.

Hinata's screams filled his mind. The way she tightened and struggled against her bonds as he forced himself inside of her body. The way she bled and bruised when he hit her face for screaming too loudly. The way her back arched off the bed when he finished inside of her then violated her again. The way her breasts heaved and bounced under his assault. He couldn't even remember how many times he used her body before cutting her eyes out while still hard inside of her.

He poured years of hatred into her body. And after he and Itachi buried her in the ground, he let Itachi come kill everyone in the estate. Neji stayed behind to listen to Hinata claw and beg and scream in the ground beneath him.

And now he found himself walking down the dark streets. He knew where he was going, but didn't know if he wanted to go. After what seemed like an eternity he stopped in front of Gaara's apartment, but he didn't knock. He gave himself two choices. If he didn't enter here, he would be off taking his life. It was then that he looked down at himself, covered with dirt and blood.

Slowly, he turned away from the apartment to go. He knew he couldn't face anyone or look at himself in the mirror, no matter how much satisfaction he had gained this night.

But when he turned he saw her there. Hinata, ghostly blue and transparent, standing in his path. She wandered as if she didn't see him, but when she turned towards him he barely kept himself from screaming before he passed out.

---To Be Continued---

(Hello again everyone! Sorry this took so long! I'm also sorry that Gaara wasn't in this chapter all that much, but as you can see, it was necessary to the story.)


	7. Fever

**Mirror of Beyond: part VII: Fever**

Gaara felt himself being shaken from his dreamless sleep. He felt a hand gently covering his mouth, and he opened his ice blue eyes to see Itachi leaning over him, one of his fingers pressed to his own lips to indicate quiet. Sasuke was still fast asleep on the futon not far from Gaara's bed. Neji, who Gaara found unconscious in front of his apartment the night before, was now sleeping on the couch in the living room. Itachi had been sleeping in Haku's apartment, but now Gaara could see Haku standing in the doorway quite clearly.

"I'm taking Sasuke," Itachi whispered as he took his hand from Gaara's mouth. "We're going to leave the village. Come with us. You, Haku, and Neji."

Gaara sat up slowly. "Did something happen?"

"Many things," Itachi whispered. "Neji and I are in danger if we stay, and I won't leave Sasuke in this village. Who knows how long you and Haku can stay safe with in a village run by a madman."

"Gaara," Haku whispered. "The Sound is up to something. People are disappearing. It's dangerous here."

"Then we will go," Gaara said as he got out of bed.

"Can your home still reach you if we leave?" Haku asked.

"If what they tell me is true," Gaara replied, "It doesn't matter where I am."

Itachi was already next to Sasuke waking his brother from a very deep slumber. Sasuke muttered a few things then rolled over around a dozen times, trying to get back to sleep until Itachi got rough with him. Haku had left the room to wake Neji, who would not be in a good mood.

"What about Obito?" Gaara asked softly.

Itachi stopped dragging a protesting Sasuke out of bed and grew still. "He will not be coming," Itachi said. "I will explain later, when we are safe."

Gaara nodded and watched as Itachi finally managed to get Sasuke out of bed. It was clear as to why Sasuke's body needed the rest. The two brothers had been badly beaten, but Gaara didn't bother to ask who did it. He could only assume it was someone from their household, because Sasuke said they couldn't return there, and it didn't make sense for Itachi to be that beat up unless he refused to fight back. Itachi, while he carried himself well, looked much worse off than Sasuke. Their black eyes and bruises looked surreal, as Gaara had hardly seen so much as a cut on them in his own world. It was also surreal to see them so close and devoted to each other. Suddenly Gaara wanted to see his brother Kankurou again.

A slew of curses from the living room told them that Neji was awake. Haku appeared in the room again with a mischievous smile.

The sun was not yet up, but the group dressed and took only what they could carry. With Neji being the only one without any sort of ninja training, it wasn't hard to pack and give him what he needed. But Gaara realized that it would be hard to cover much ground with this group. Only Itachi and Haku could move with expert speed. Sasuke was fast, but couldn't keep up with them. This Neji had never had any training. And Gaara's training would fail him here, because day by day he grew weaker.

The five slipped out of the apartment and went down to the road. Itachi led them to the road that led out of the village. Itachi walked straight up to the guards, dressed in his ANBU gear. His white vest still had blood on it, and he kept the mask off so they could see his face. The others hung back while he spoke to the guards. They didn't know what he said to them, but they nodded at let him pass with the others. When Gaara passed by them he saw their faces clearly. They were from the Uchiha clan, and most likely very fond of Itachi. And there was a good chance Itachi could tell them the whole story and they would let him pass anyway. Orochimaru was clearly despised by the majority of the Uchiha clan.

"I strongly doubt you two like being babied," Haku said. Before Gaara could respond he was already unconscious along with Neji, Haku's needles piercing their necks. They were asleep for a long while, with Haku carrying Gaara on his back and Itachi carrying Neji. Now the two only had to wait for Sasuke, who tried his hardest not to slow them down.

* * *

When Gaara awoke the sun was high in the sky. The five were lying under the shade of some trees in a vast plain. Itachi, Haku, and Sasuke were the only ones sleeping now. Gaara glanced over to see Neji watching him. He pointed to something, and Gaara turned slowly to see Ino sitting next to him. The Ino from his world. 

"Ino," Gaara blinked. "You shouldn't use your jutsu to come here."

"I feel okay," she smiled playfully. "Everyone is worried about you, Gaara."

"I'm grateful," he said, his blue eyes soft. "Is Naruto alright?"

Ino stood up and dusted herself off. Her eyes held some uncertainty and sadness. "Gaara," she said. "Naruto wants to trade places with you. He thinks he can only hold the gateway open long enough to get you out if he risks entering himself."

"No," Gaara said immediately.

"But… word got out that you're missing, Gaara," Ino said. "Your village is vulnerable without you. Naruto is important to us but he's no village's Kage."

Gaara shut his eyes. If anything happened to his village he didn't know what he would do. It hurt him to see it in ruins in this world. For it to happen in his own would kill him.

"Can you not feel it, Gaara?" Ino said. "You're dying. We have to get you out. Soon, we hope."

And with that, she faded as was gone.

Gaara sighed softly and turned around, only to see the other four young men fully awake and staring at him. He realized that Sasuke and Haku knew what was going on, but Itachi and Neji were completely lost. Itachi was looking around now with his Sharingan active, his red eyes trying to discover where Ino went.

"She can come here?" Sasuke asked, forgetting that his brother was in the dark about the situation. "Someone from your world?"

"She isn't actually here," Gaara explained. "She is a master of the mind-transfer jutsu. She's… it's just a projection of her real self."

"But what is she transferring to?" Sasuke blinked. "How did she become material?"

"I can't answer that," Gaara said softly.

Suddenly Sasuke stiffened. "The one who attacked Itachi…!"

Gaara shut his eyes and nodded solemnly. "That was the Sasuke from my world."

Sasuke shook his head slowly, but he could see from Gaara's eyes that he was serious.

"Why?!" Sasuke demanded. "I would never--"

"He isn't you," Gaara said gently. "This is all completely different."

Gaara hadn't noticed, but Haku was busy explaining the situation to Itachi and Neji. Itachi nodded attentively as though he were hearing the details of an important mission. Neji, of course, thought it was all nonsense. Even the disappearing act of Ino couldn't convince him of some other world where all the same things were completely different.

"You're all crazy," Neji snorted. "Gaara for making it up and the rest of you for believing him. You expect us to believe you're the Kazekage?"

"I can't prove this to you," Gaara sighed. "You either believe me or you don't."

"Whatever the case," Itachi spoke up, "We're still on the run. This situation won't change that."

None of the others were entirely sure whether or not Itachi believed Gaara's situation, but it didn't matter in the face of his logic.

"We have to travel to a small place… or some remote place we can survive. Someplace untouched by Orochimaru's war," Itachi said. "No matter what, Gaara and Haku can find a way to live because they aren't a part of Konoha. But Father will be looking for Sasuke and me, and Neji and I can't return… ever."

"Why?" Haku blinked. "What happened?"

Itachi looked away, but his calm expression didn't change. "It's best if we don't talk ab--"

"I killed Hinata," Neji said, his eyes filled with hatred. "I tortured her and killed her."

Haku's eyes widened, and he and Gaara looked to Itachi for confirmation. Itachi gave none. He wouldn't look at them.

"It's better if they know what kind of monsters are traveling with them," Neji smirked.

Itachi stared off into the distance for a moment longer before returning his gaze to the group. "I slaughtered the Hyuuga clan," he said, keeping his voice steady. "The only ones left alive were the ones fortunate enough to be outside of the compound that night. Everyone else is dead."

Haku looked at him in shock, trying to process what he'd heard. "All of those people…."

But Gaara's look was not one of shock, but one of sadness. Sadness that this Itachi was clearly feeling a type of guilt and suffering that the Itachi in his world could never know, despite the similarity in their situations. Sadness at the fact that the better of the two was in more pain.

Silence followed, and soon they were moving again until nightfall. This time they traveled slowly so that everyone could walk on his own. They felt much safer the further they walked from Konoha.

* * *

Gaara didn't realize that he was sleeping more and more. Everything was happening so gradually to him. He slept a few more minutes each night. His energy was leaving too slowly for him to properly process it. But tonight he knew he was sleeping deeply when he found himself dreaming of the desert again. But he knew well by now that this was no ordinary dream. Somehow he knew that he was seeing home through his dreams, and he was standing on the door, though he could interact with no one and no one could see him. It was annoying to not be able to reach out and grasp the arms of Temari or Kankurou. 

But this time there was no one here. Though he couldn't have interacted with them anyway, Gaara still felt a surge of loneliness. He sighed very softly, and turned to the sunset.

But the sun had already set long ago.

What he saw now was fire and smoke rising into the sky, bringing unwelcome brightness and blocking out the starry sky. This was no ordinary fire either. There could be nothing out in this desert that would catch fire like that… except in one place. Gaara clutched at his chest as though he could stop his heart from pounding out of it.

His village was under attack, and from the looks of things, they were losing.

The landscape started to fade as Gaara's body started to wake from the shock his body was feeling.

Gaara was actually clutching his chest when he awoke, the four other young men resting around him. Haku was awake, and looked over to him curiously.

"Are you alright?" Haku whispered.

Gaara shook his head. There was sweat running down the sides of his face. "My village is in danger," he said softly.

"The Love Village is in danger?" Neji murmured sleepily, poking fun at the tattoo on Gaara's forehead. Neji still believed nothing of what Gaara had told him.

Haku suddenly sat up and gazed off into the darkness. His hand shot out and he shook Itachi awake. "Someone is coming!" he said.

Itachi felt it too, and he sprang up as though he'd never been asleep. "They're moving fast," Itachi murmured.

Suddenly their pursuers came into view. Four bodies leapt through the darkness and surrounded them. They were all from Konoha, and Gaara recognized them at once. Lee, Tenten, Sakura, and Kabuto.

"Uchiha Itachi," Kabuto said. "We're here to place you under arrest for the murder of the Hyuuga clan, and for leaving the village unannounced. Orochimaru has personally sent us to recover you."

Gaara felt powerless. He was powerless. He knew this group would give them unimaginable trouble, especially if this Lee was as skilled as the one he knew from his own world.

"What of the others?" Itachi glared.

Kabuto looked from Gaara to Haku. "These two can do as they please. They aren't part of our village." He then looked to Neji. "This one is nothing more than a reject to his clan, and we have no need for him." And finally his eyes settled on Sasuke, who Itachi was standing in front of protectively. "Your brother may stay with them if you come quietly. Otherwise, we'll kill him."

Itachi immediately took a step forward, but Haku stepped in front of him. "He isn't going with you," Haku said firmly.

"Haku--" Itachi began.

"Do you think Sasuke will leave without you?" Haku said, without turning around.

Gaara turned to see Sasuke, frightened and emotionally tired. But Neji was clearly terrified. An expression he had never seen from the Neji in his world.

Gaara tried to will the sand around him to move, but he knew it was hopeless. He would be weak, but he would fight without it.

"Itachi," Haku said softly. "It's up to you and me." He looked over to him. "So you know what that means, right? You can't leave Sasuke or Gaara or Neji alone, not even for a second. If you do, they'll be killed."

Itachi looked to Sasuke for a moment, then looked to Haku again with a slight nod.

"You mean to fight them alone?" Gaara asked, stepping forward.

"I mean to do whatever it takes to keep you alive," Haku said.

Suddenly Haku started to walk towards Kabuto's group. Gaara started forward but Neji grabbed him by the arm.

"We have no business with you," Kabuto said to Haku, looking annoyed.

"He'll die," Gaara said pulling away. "Itachi, you have to help him."

Itachi stared forward, his expression unchanging. He watched as Haku went forward without fear. "Sasuke," he said. "Take Neji and Gaara somewhere safe."

"But I can't leave you!" Sasuke protested.

"Do it!" Itachi said. "And do it quickly! The three of you are in the way."

But when Itachi looked to Gaara he knew that Sasuke wouldn't be the hardest one to move. Gaara stared at him, conflicted. He took no offense to what Itachi had said, but he had been trained for so long to protect others and never run away. Never in his life had he run away.

"For your village, Gaara," Haku said without turning around. "For them, you have to go now."

It was then, without a second thought, that Gaara turned away and started to pull Neji and Sasuke with him. If he died here, so too would his village back in his own world. He had to save them. But when he looked up to the top of the hill they were climbing he saw someone standing there. A silhouette of a person in the darkness.

"You are trespassing!" a man called down to them. "State your business here. Pawns of Orochimaru are not welcome here!"

"Orochimaru is the bastard we're running from!" Neji yelled. "And those bastards over there are trying to make us return!"

"We will decide who returns where!" the man called back to him.

His voice sounded very young, but very proud. Gaara realized that Kabuto's team had stopped and was wary. There were probably others around that Gaara could no longer sense. Haku and Itachi had stopped moving.

"How convenient for so many runaways and rogue ninja to be in one spot," Kabuto smirked as he readjusted his glasses. "And you," he said, glaring at the man on the hill, "are in the Bingo Book."

"Come take me then, if you dare," the man said as he moved closer.

And then he moved down the hill, into the moonlight. He was no longer a shadow. With hair the color of the sand and a youthful face that betrayed his age he moved towards Gaara and his friends. And Gaara nearly clutched at his chest, and then had to stop himself from touching the character he had branded to his own face.

"Yashamaru…" Gaara whispered, though no one heard. This was someone he would never have expected. Someone only remaining in nightmares. Someone who brought feelings of shame and guilt and pain and deceit… and a shred of wisdom and forced love. In Gaara's own world, this man was dead, killed by Gaara himself. His uncle Yashamaru.

"How shall we deal with them?" Yashamaru asked.

"Quickly," said another man with a much deeper voice. He had appeared so quickly that he wasn't detected by anyone but Itachi and Haku. Despite the longer hair, some of it pre-maturely gray with stress, Gaara could recognize Gai anywhere. But this Gai didn't smile like the one he knew.

"Leave this place," Yashamaru said. "Or we will kill you."

Several more shadows appeared on the horizon, and Kabuto started to look unnerved.

"We aren't leaving without the one we came for," Kabuto said, glaring at Itachi.

"Then you are not leaving at all," Yashamaru smirked. He suddenly lifted a hand into the air, and some of the shadowy figures started to move forward.

"You rejects can't beat four Konoha shinobi," Kabuto smirked.

"Three," Yashamaru smiled in mock kindness. "Three Konoha shinobi."

Gaara glanced to Kabuto's group in time to see Tenten fall lifeless to the ground. She was already dead, her neck broken. And behind her was Gai. No one had even seen his movements.

"I suggest you pay more attention," Gai said.

Sakura suddenly disappeared into thin air as a reaction to seeing her fallen comrade.

"Genjutsu…" Itachi said as he activated his sharingan. Suddenly he jumped in front Yashamaru in time to block several shuriken with his kunai. While no one else could see her, he could see Sakura clearly. He stared at her with blood red eyes, and under his gaze she felt afraid. A split second later, a kick strong enough to create its own wind cut through the air and hit the side of Sakura's face, sending her flying back and rolling against the ground. Gai knew that Itachi could see her, and Itachi knew that Gai would know where to attack if he maintained eye contact with her. But now Sakura's illusion was gone. She was fully visible. Gaara couldn't help but feel sorry for her as Gai approached her to finish her off. But suddenly Gai turned swiftly to block an incoming kick. It was Lee making an attempt to save Sakura. But his kick hadn't phased Gai at all. It was plain already, that Lee's taijutsu level was far beneath him. And it was clear to Gaara that this Lee didn't have half the speed and strength as the Lee he knew in his own world.

Gaara felt completely frustrated that he couldn't do or sense anything properly. He didn't even have time to be on his guard when Kabuto disappeared from his view with a burst of speed. When Gaara finally saw him again, he was just feet away from Haku. It was like slow motion as Kabuto's kunai came down, aimed directly for Haku's neck. Gaara's eyes widened as he processed what was happening.

But even faster than Kabuto's kunai was Haku's hand, gracefully rising and grabbing Kabuto's wrist, just inches before the blade could touch him.

"That wasn't very nice," Haku smiled serenely, his face just inches from Kabuto's.

Suddenly Kabuto's arm started to freeze. He tried to pull his arm away but Haku held on fast, the ice not seeming to affect him as it started to make it's way up Kabuto's arm. Finally, Kabuto managed to free himself and jump back a few feet. And just as he did, he found himself surrounded be a wall of ice mirrors. It was as though he was now in a small, circular room with mirrors on all sides… just him… and Haku.

Gaara blinked in surprise as the mirrors appeared quickly. Through small cracks between each one he could see Haku and Kabuto clearly. This was no illusion. Haku suddenly disappeared as he jumped back and was actually absorbed into the mirror.

Kabuto suddenly felt a sting and lifted his hand to his cheek. He was bleeding. Another sting came, and another. Large needles were flying through the air as if they were coming from the mirrors. Haku was no where in sight. Or rather, he was moving too fast. Itachi was the only one who could follow clearly as Haku emerged from one mirror and quickly disappeared into another. Kabuto's eyes couldn't follow.

Neji suddenly pulled Gaara out of the way as Lee's limp body was thrown in their directly like a rag doll.

"Pathetic," Gai sighed. "What do they teach for martial arts in Konoha these days?"

Suddenly the mirrors melted away, and Haku stood there, not a scratch on him. Kabuto, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He had been pierced from head to toe with needles, and Haku knew the human body so well that he was able to knock him out and keep him immobile without killing him. Had the needles been even a little off, Kabuto would be dead.

"Three to be taken alive," Yashamaru said. "And one to dispose of." He rose a hand into the air and several people came to bring the knew prisoners in.

"Too easy," Gai snorted as he left.

"As for the rest of you," Yashamaru said, "You'll forgive me for being cautious, but if you mean for a place to rest, we'll give it to you under harsh surveillance."

"Do we really want to stay here?" Neji asked warily.

"Yes," Haku said as he pointed to Sasuke and Gaara.

Sometime during the battle, Sasuke had collapsed. Gaara, after the adrenaline had passed, was now on his knees, fatigued beyond belief. Neji knelt next to Gaara with a worried look, and Itachi ran to his brother and picked him up.

"I'll do anything for their safety," Itachi said.

Yashamaru looked especially wary of Itachi after seeing his Sharingan, but he nodded. "It is done then."

* * *

Neji and Gaara sat in silence in the locked room to which they were assigned. It was comfortable, there was no denying that. There were four beds, but they appeared to be the only ones in the simple room. There was a small bathroom attached as well. It was clear that this place was meant to serve as not only a base, but a home. 

Gaara nodded off a little, then straightened. He was exhausted. But suddenly he was overcome with a coughing fit. Neji stood, but before he could even respond the door opened abruptly and Yashamaru entered. He firmly made Gaara lie in bed.

"What's wrong?" Yashamaru asked, placing a hand on Gaara's forehead as Gaara put a hand over his mouth, trying to control his coughs.

"He's sick," Neji said uneasily. "He's got a weak body. He's getting worse."

Gaara's coughing subsided, and he stared up at Yashamaru intently. He was the perfect double of the uncle in his world… the one he killed. Gaara didn't know what to make of the fact that Yashamaru clearly didn't recognize him or find him at all familiar.

"I'll send for someone," Yashamaru nodded down at Gaara.

"Where are the others?" Gaara whispered.

"I will be frank," Yashamaru said, standing straight. "You two can sit here comfortably because you are of no threat. You lack the power to do anything if you wanted to. So it isn't trust we give you so much as complete lack of fear or concern. But you are traveling with two Uchiha and a member of an endangered and powerful bloodline. They must be watched carefully."

Neji sat down again and sighed deeply. Gaara understood how helpless he felt.

"My name is Yashamaru. You're free to roam. The facilities are quite large."

"Neji," Neji nodded. "Hyuuga… Neji…." He said it softly, with shame in his voice.

"Gaara…" Gaara said softly, looking to see if Yashamaru recognized the name at all.

"Well, Neji and Gaara," Yashamaru bowed slightly. "Enjoy your stay." And with that he left the room.

Silence hung in the air before Neji chose to break it.

"So they are scared of people with blood-line limits, but not a normal ninja like you?" he asked.

"They probably can't sense any chakra from me because I'm so drained," Gaara said. But then he turned his head to Neji with slight surprise. "Do you believe I'm a ninja now?"

Neji looked away briefly. "That night we -- you know…. Every muscle on your body stood out. It was pretty obvious that takes some serious training. So -- I guess I believe you. But I don't believe all that other shit. Give me a break. You? A kage?" He snorted and lied down.

"I don't blame you," Gaara said softly. "Me being how I am… I don't… blame you…." Gaara's eyes closed slowly and his head rolled to the side. Sleep had claimed him, and this time for a very long time.

* * *

Sasuke groaned softly and opened his eyes. He felt refreshed, but he was cold. He shifted in bed again and again, not realizing that he wasn't in his bed at home. Suddenly something heavy and warm rested on top of him. 

"Are you cold?" Itachi asked gently, his breath hitting Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke realized that Itachi was lying on top of him now, keeping him warm. Itachi was on top of the covers while he was beneath them, but there was still a closeness to it that made his heart beat faster.

"Where are we?" Sasuke asked, trying to occupy his mind.

"Safe, but in captivity," Itachi said, sounding unworried. "They don't trust those from Konoha, and I don't blame them. Especially with us being Uchiha. But the room is comfortable. It isn't a jail cell. But we are locked in and they are probably guarding the door."

"Where is Haku?" Sasuke asked.

"That I don't know, but they assure me he's safe, and I believe them."

Sasuke stared up at the ceiling. "How long have I been out? Was it a burden?"

"No burden," Itachi said. "You were simply exhausted. But I am worried about Gaara. He suddenly looked very weak."

More silence fell. Sasuke knew that Itachi wasn't uncomfortable with it at all. Silence was something Itachi had mastered. But there were still many things left unsaid between the two of them, and Sasuke didn't know how to say them. Both of them bore the bruises and marks of being beaten terribly by their father for what they both knew was a sin to everyone else but them.

Suddenly Itachi got off of the bed, leaving Sasuke with a feeling of sinking disappointment. But just then the door opened and someone stepped inside. Itachi had heard them coming.

"You can come and go as you please now," Yashamaru said. "You aren't the first from the Uchiha clan or Konoha to escape here, and you have people to speak for you. People I trust. There are also people to speak for Haku, and we never saw Gaara and Neji as a threat, so you are all free to do as you please as long as it doesn't inconvenience or expose this base."

"Thank you," Itachi said. "We won't reveal this place to anyone."

Yashamaru bowed and smiled before he left the room.

"They just trust people to come in and out of this place like that?" Sasuke asked, sitting up in bed.

Itachi took a look outside of their room to see their guards walking away with Yashamaru. They were in some sort of building built into a hidden mountainside. There were no windows in their room, but the room opened up into a hallway that had windows overlooking the beautiful mountains around them. "They probably get a lot of people on the run," he said. "And considering how powerful they are and how simple this place is, they can probably leave if they had to. I think they are trying to provide a safe haven for anyone who stumbles into their path trying to get away from Orochimaru's wars."

Itachi left the door open so the sunlight could flood in. Sasuke got out of bed and walked to the doorway to look around for himself.

"That feels good," Sasuke said softly as the sun hit his skin.

Firm hands pulled him back slightly, but not out of the sun. Sasuke felt his back against Itachi's chest now, and Itachi's hands were wrapped around him.

"Does it still feel good?" Itachi asked softly.

Surprised, but more relaxed than just moments before, Sasuke rested his arms on top of Itachi's. "Better now."

"Good," Itachi said as he lowered his head to Sasuke's neck and kissed one of his bruises.

Sasuke stood frozen as Itachi continued to kiss his bruises or gently suck or bite the skin that wasn't bruised. Sasuke reached for the door to close it but Itachi grabbed his wrist and brought it down again. Sasuke felt a blush creep into his cheeks as Itachi held him right by the doorway, just out of sight of the rest of the hall. The blush spread when Itachi's hands slid under his shirt to caress his stomach and chest slowly.

"They might come to check on us again…" Sasuke whispered.

Itachi released him only for a second, but then suddenly pulled him into the hallway and pushed him back against the warm glass of the large windows. Anyone could walk by and see them now, and Sasuke's eyes widened as Itachi kissed him roughly, his tongue entering Sasuke's mouth and tasting deeply. When Itachi finally broke the kiss he stared intensely into Sasuke's eyes.

"Let them see," Itachi said, in his deep, soothing voice. "I'm not letting anyone else have you ever again. We left our clan and our village. You're all I have and all I care about now. You were probably all I cared about long before we left. So let others see. Let them see that we're both boys. Let them see that we look so much alike. Let them see that we are from the same clan or family. Let them see what they want." He leaned down slightly to whisper into Sasuke's ear. "Just as long as they leave the room so they can't watch me penetrate more than your mouth and with more than my tongue."

Haku rounded the corner in time to see Sasuke nearly collapse into Itachi's arms.

"Is he okay?" Haku asked, rushing over as Itachi held his brother up. "You look like you have a fever Sasuke."

"He's just a little worked up," Itachi said calmly. He then looked to Sasuke with a slight smirk that only appeared for a second. "Overworked," Itachi said in mock correction. "He's overworked his body since we left our village."

"I hope that's it," Haku said softly. "You see, we can't wake Gaara."

"What?" Sasuke said, composing himself. "Since when? Is he okay?"

"Yashamaru sent people to check on him," Haku said. "We'll have to wait for word from him."

"Haku," Itachi asked. "Who spoke for us? Who had us all released?"

"There were some runaway Uchiha from your village, as well as an instructor named Iruka who spoke for you," Haku smiled warmly. "For me… an old friend named Zabuza. It's amazing, meeting them all here. But they will probably move on soon, the same as us."

"Will we move on?" Sasuke asked.

Haku blinked and considered it for a moment. "Well… I… I don't know where we can go but…" he sighed softly. "I want to help Gaara find a way home. I want to see if I can find anything in the ruins of Suna, where he was found."

"I'll go too," Itachi nodded. "Sasuke will stay here. Where he can be safe."

"WHAT?!" Sasuke protested. "I want to go too. It's not like I get in the way, right? Maybe I can help. Besides, if you do find a way, I want to say goodbye."

Itachi looked at Sasuke for a moment, then at Haku. "Alright. We can only wait for word then. We'll help him home."

* * *

Gaara opened his eyes and knew he was dreaming. But even though he longed for home he grew more and more fearful about what he might see. It was daylight in the desert now, and he slowly forced himself to look at his village. It was there, intact, and the fires had been put out. But there was no life around. No people exploring, no kites flying or birds leaving or entering the village. Gaara knew the feel of his village better than anyone. He knew it's energy. And now he understood that they were on high alert. 

Gaara stood there a long time, staring at his village, waiting to wake up again. But he wouldn't wake. He closed his eyes, waiting for the dream to end, but it wouldn't end. He realized that his head felt light, and even though he knew his body wasn't really here, there was something heavy about his presence.

A flicker of movement from behind him caught his attention, and he slowly turned around. It was Neji, all alone. His dark hair blew gently in the wind and his white robes rustled slightly there. He sat with his eyes closed and his palms against the door.

Gaara looked around. It was dangerous for him to be out here alone, especially with a recent attack.

Suddenly Gaara felt weak. His presence there… his spirit… felt so weak. But he still wasn't waking up. And at that exact moment Neji furrowed his brow and pressed his palms against the door even harder. In a few seconds Gaara felt better again. Still weak, but better.

"Got you…" Neji said softly. And then his face relaxed again. And once more he sat as still as a statue, with only his hair and robes giving any indication that he wasn't made of marble.

Gaara realized that Neji was keeping track of him, which was probably getting harder as both of them grew weaker. Gaara knew that his chakra was so low that it was nearly impossible to perceive by anyone but Neji. That is why Kankurou could do nothing. His chakra strings couldn't find Gaara. Only Neji could do it now. And if Neji lost track of him… he might never be able to find him again. But then… now long did Neji plan to stay here like this?

Gaara realized that he had nothing to lose by getting closer. He walked over and knelt in front of Neji. Slowly, he tried to touch Neji's sleeve. He felt the disappointment when his hand went through him. But still he tried again. Neji's statue-like figure wouldn't move, but he was still so graceful sitting there. He couldn't help but wonder how this Neji's touch was different from the one he shared his physical frustrations with in the other world. Was this Neji so rough and so physically selfish? …No. Probably not. They were nothing alike.

Gaara continued to sit there, completely content on watching the only one who could remain connected to him from his own world. They were completely alone together, and yet not alone at all.

Suddenly Neji's eyes snapped open and he turned to look towards his side. Gaara hadn't even sensed that someone had been coming. An enemy of both Suna and Konoha from the Sound country. An enemy that Neji could easily defeat…

…If he hadn't been so determined to keep track of Gaara.

Gaara realized that Neji wasn't going to budge to save his own life. He wasn't going to let go of their connection. The guilt was overwhelming for Gaara but he couldn't tear his eyes away. The attacker drew out a large, rusty, blood-stained sword and ran at Neji, who still stat quietly. The sword came down… and Gaara woke up with a jolt, back in the world that was not his, his now weak heart pounding fast and sweat pouring all over his body.

Haku was there with Yashamaru, and he felt them shaking him, but only dully registered that he was back in the alternate world. Within moments of waking up, he felt his energy and whatever physical well-being he had cracking and falling away. The connection between him and the Neji from his world was broken, and whatever energy Gaara was being given was cut off. Did Neji let go of him or was he dead? Was he fighting now? Was he trying to re-establish their connection? Please… anything but death.

Gaara's body grew cold, his vision blurred, and his muscles ached. His lungs wouldn't grasp enough air and his heart was either beating too fast or too slow. His chakra was out and his head ached. It was only then that he was completely conscious of the fact that he really was dying.

* * *

There was no turning back now. Itachi, for but a split second, tried to remember when it all began. The attraction, the longing, the acceptance of it all… but it didn't matter now. There was no turning back. 

He would hardly touch Sasuke in the past because the line had become so maddening. The line between a touch of brotherly love and a touch of longing affection became so blurred at times. Even most recently, physical contact was kept so minimal. But then Sasuke -- It was all Sasuke's fault, really -- saw fit to kiss him goodnight. But one kiss turned into two, and two turned into tongues, and tongues turned into touching. Before Itachi new it he had stripped his brother… his lover… of his clothes, discarded his own maddening attire, and then pinned Sasuke to the bed.

Sasuke was slightly surprised to feel his outwardly chilly brother so attentive and warm. Despite the heat of lust and need that Itachi was emanating there was a distinct care and gentleness to his touch. His mouth made his way down Sasuke body in a serious of kisses and bites that made Sasuke shudder gently. And then Sasuke's back arched slightly and his hands shot down into his brother's hair when Itachi showed him just how attentive his mouth could be. And then came the probing of fingers lubricated with saliva, and stars swam in Sasuke's vision in the dark room.

When Sasuke's body was fully at attention, but not yet spent, Itachi moved back up to whisper gentle warning in his ear. Sasuke nodded, and Itachi knelt between his legs, drawing Sasuke's knees back slightly, mixing saliva with his own pre-arousal, and then finally letting Sasuke's pained and beautiful and desperate breathing fill the room as he entered him.

Soon it seemed that Sasuke was reduced to nerves, only feeling. Itachi's eyes stared down at him in the light of one candle, Itachi's warmth and touch was all around him, Itachi was inside of him. Sasuke could hardly remember or think of anything or anyone else but his older brother now. He was moaning again and again as Itachi penetrated deeper and faster, and then his body gave a start when Itachi reached down to stroke his erection.

"Be good, Sasuke," he heard his brother whisper after that jolt. But Sasuke gently pushed Itachi's hand away and started to stroke himself, letting Itachi turn his full attention to getting pleasure from taking his body. He saw his older bother's eyes watching his hand as he pleasured himself, unable to tear his eyes away as Sasuke brought himself to climax, whispering Itachi's name under labored breathes. It was after this sensual sight that Itachi's thrusts became rougher, and he returned his longing gaze back to Sasuke's face. Sasuke smirked in the way that younger brothers do when they are doing something mischievous and tightened around Itachi's hardness, sending a short stream of rarely issued curse words from Itachi's mouth as pleasure shot through him.

Upon the realization that Itachi's endurance was fitting of a ninja of his class, Sasuke managed to coax him into stopping for an agonizing few seconds. They got off the bed and Sasuke turned and bent over it, allowing Itachi to enter him again from behind. It wasn't long until Itachi's body finally allowed him release, and he groaned deeply after a series of violent thrusts, holding on tightly to Sasuke as every last drop of his passion and need was emptied into Sasuke's body.

They cleaned each other off before settling down in one of the beds, naked, relaxed, together.

"Goodnight again," Sasuke murmured. And this time Itachi kissed him. Their tongues danced for a while, and then Sasuke laid on his back and Itachi rested his body protectively on top of him. They slept like this, dozing into warmth and comfort.

But Itachi didn't know why his eyes opened again, hours later, deep into the night. Another candle had been lit, or perhaps the same was still burning. And kneeling there by the bed was Sasuke, but it wasn't the same Sasuke sleeping peacefully against him. This Sasuke looked a little more like himself… more hardened and outwardly cold. This was the one who had tried to kill him before. Itachi tightened his grip on his blissfully unaware lover and stared at his attacker, not with anger or fear, but with questioning eyes. It was then that this new Sasuke looked down at the mirror image of himself, sleeping quietly, comfortably, and happily against his brother. There were no lines of hate or anger or pain on that dreaming face. Itachi watched carefully as his brother's double stood up slowly, and he thought he saw his expression soften by a fraction. His former attacker extended his hand slowly and gently grasped Itachi's shoulder. "Goodnight," he mouthed silently before vanishing.

* * *

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was an accident!" 

"Come on, kid," Yashamaru said, holding Gaara stationary on the bed. "Relax, you're having a nightmare."

"No…. Yashamaru… I remember," Gaara gasped in heaving breathes. "I know you thought you had to… I'm sorry about mother! But I didn't mean to! And I didn't want you to get hurt! I'm sorry! I can't forgive myself…."

Haku wiped Gaara's forehead with a wet rag. "His fever is too high," he said softly. "I've never seen him like this. He probably doesn't know what he's saying anymore." He shook his head sadly. "I don't understand. He was fine just hours ago."

The normally calm, normally pale, normally logical Gaara was now in a feverish state of madness.

"LET ME GO! THE VILLAGE IS IN DANGER!" Gaara yelled, trying to rise.

Slowly, Neji walked up behind Haku to see how Gaara was doing. Gaara's eyes shifted to Neji's exhausted, helpless face.

"Neji," Gaara whispered softly. "You're… alive…."

He then shut his eyes and was very still except for his heavy breathing. The temperature around Gaara suddenly dropped and Neji and Yashamaru realized that it was Haku's power at work.

"Normally we would let the fever run it's course," Haku said, "But his isn't dropping."

"And no amount of medicine or healing is helping him," Yashamaru sighed.

Gaara's chest started heaving faster. He felt like he was falling, deeper and deeper. Would he dream again? Where would he end up now? He couldn't tell… he was so confused…. The door… home… so far away….

The desert… blood spreading over white robes… white eyes in pain….

Suddenly the door to Gaara's room opened and they all turned to see Gai there.

"Yashamaru," he said panting. "Orochimaru has been spotted in the area. He's headed straight for us."

Yashamaru stood up suddenly. "Gather up our forces to prepare to defend this place! We have too many wounded to try to leave. Too many have made this place their home. However," he looked at Haku. "I will show you and your friends the way out. You didn't escape him only to die here, did you?"

---To Be Continued---

(Sorry for the LONG delay!)


	8. Awakenings

**Mirror of Beyond: part VIII: Awakenings**

Gaara awoke, feeling as though he'd slept for days. But it was nearly torture to even open his eyes. He saw Haku sitting next to him, and felt a cool towel being pressed against his forehead.

"Hey," Haku smiled gently. "You're awake."

"Where…?" Gaara mouthed, though no sound came out.

"I brought you outside for some air," Haku smiled. "But we're in the woods. There are a series of small cottages here, a good distance from Yashamaru's hideout. He told me to check back when I think the battle might be over."

"Battle?" Gaara said softly.

"Orochimaru…" Haku frowned. "I would have stayed to fight him, and I'm sure Itachi wanted to also, but we couldn't leave the three of you alone."

The green grass beneath him felt so cool, and Gaara could see patches of light blue sky between the trees. Haku gently wiped the sweat from his forehead again, and Gaara shut his eyes, feeling relaxed.

"Thank you," Gaara said softly.

"It's nothing," Haku smiled.

"I mean… for everything," Gaara said, turning his head slightly to look at Haku. "For coming with me, and for being my friend. If you weren't here, everything would be different." Gaara's gaze went back up to the trees. "We all need you. You relax everyone."

Haku blushed slightly and grinned. "It's obvious you're a ninja, Gaara. You're examining team dynamics even now." He helped Gaara sit up. "But really, thank you."

Gaara sat and gratefully drank the water Haku had for him. He hated this feeling of helplessness, but his body didn't have that same pride, and knew what it needed. So he couldn't stop himself from drinking his soup too quickly. But Haku only smiled.

"Neji made it," Haku said.

Gaara blinked at looked down at the now empty bowl. It had been so good, and so warm. Of course Neji would have a skill like this, living in that household as a slave. But still… it was a surprise. It was as though it had been made with love and care… two qualities this Neji seemed to lack entirely.

"Don't look so shocked," Neji said, walking up behind Haku. "I'm not completely useless."

"Who caught the fish for it?" Gaara asked.

Neji glared at him and Haku cleared his throat and stood quickly. "Well then!" he said, trying not to laugh. "I'll be over here… somewhere…. Somewhere far."

They watched him leave and Gaara looked up at Neji innocently. Neji rolled his eyes and muttered, "Sasuke caught the fish, okay? I'm completely--"

"You aren't useless," Gaara said. "Thank you."

Neji didn't say anything more. They sat there on the grass, feeling the gentle breeze.

"Did you want to talk about what happened to your clan?" Gaara asked. He was never one to skirt issues.

"What the hell is there to talk about?" Neji said lowly. "Do you want the brutal details of Hinata's rape? Or maybe you want to know what it feels like to kill someone in cold blood?"

Gaara turned to face him, his face still calm. "I've killed more people than you by far. Many in cold blood. I've participated in battles, watched women raped and men tortured. I don't need to know anymore about it than I already do. I'm just asking if you want to talk about it."

"No!" Neji snapped. "I don't want to talk about it. It's over! And I'm fucking glad it's over. I only wish I was a ninja myself, so I could have slaughtered them all on my own!"

Gaara nodded, and there was silence again. He wondered what this Neji would do if he saw his other self. The confident, strong, tranquil, honorable Neji who lived in Gaara's world. And with this thought, the guilt came. Was it the sickness or the madness that made Gaara see the Neji from his world covered in blood? Dying a painful death all to keep track of Gaara? Was that real or a nightmare?

"Did you ever train those eyes of yours?" Gaara asked, his voice steady and clear and somewhat forceful.

Neji didn't look at him. "Train? For what purpose?"

"You can't use Byakugan?"

"Of course not, stupid," Neji muttered. "Do you know how much energy that takes? Years of training since childhood too."

"So you can't tell me how far away the others are?" Gaara asked, his expression still unchanging.

Neji sighed and glanced behind him, his eyes still better than an average person's. "I can see them through the window, eating at the table in the cottage. Why?"

"Because," Gaara said, "I want to pretend again."

* * *

Neji was as unfeeling and brutal as ever, and Gaara was as self-injuring as ever. Gaara had started out on his hands and knees, but Neji pushed his head down forcefully so that his head and chest touched the grass. His groans as gasps of pain meant little to Neji, who held him in place by the hips and thrust into him as forcefully as he could. They were both still clothed aside from what needed to be removed for this act.

But Gaara needed to suffer right now. He needed to torture himself for being the reason the Neji back in his world was suffering or even dead right now. So it only seemed fitting that this one who looked so much like his dying Neji would deliver his punishment.

Suddenly Neji stopped moving behind him. He grabbed Gaara by the hair and pulled him back roughly so that Gaara was on his knees, his back against Neji's chest.

"Does he fuck you like this?" Neji breathed into his ear. "The one you left behind?"

When Gaara didn't answer Neji bucked his hips forward and buried himself deeper, causing Gaara to gasp in pain.

"No," Gaara said softly.

"But you like it rough," Neji taunted. "You like to be stretched like this."

Again no response, and again another painful thrust.

"Y… yes," Gaara breathed.

"I suggest you try and forget him quickly," Neji whispered coldly in his ear. "Because if I ever meet him I'm going to tell him exactly what I've done to you from start to finish." His hand reached into Gaara's pants and started to stroke him roughly. "I'll tell him how you begged for it," he continued to whisper in maddening seductiveness. "I'll tell him what you sound like when it first enters you and how you push back on it when you want more. Or if you want, we can just show him."

Neji pushed Gaara forward and slammed his head against the grass again. Gaara's body couldn't ignore that it knew that voice. It responded all too well when that deep voice hit his ear, though the words were too cold for what he'd come to expect from that voice in the past. The Neji back home only spoke when necessary… and he never spoke to Gaara.

For a brief moment Gaara told himself that he could live for the rest of his life as a weakling. He could let others take control. He wouldn't even mind being abused as long as it meant living the life of a somewhat normal teenager. Back home his urges and longings were completely unimportant and lost in the greater scheme of things. In the past he would have berated himself for thinking of one person so much and for thinking of what his body wanted. Now… even in its weakness, Gaara realized that his body was all he really had. His existence as Gaara was more important than his position as Kazekage, because if he had no value as Gaara… then he would be completely lost and empty when in a position where he could not be the Kazekage. He had to learn to just be Gaara, or even if he made it home, he would feel as though his life was shallow and empty.

But even now, here on his knees with his cheek pressed to the cold ground, he was betraying himself. He was running. He wasn't facing his pain, he was trying to mask it.

Neji's hand reached down and slipped into Gaara's pants again, roughly bringing him to orgasm that was more pain than pleasure. The painful pumping continued for a good while longer before Neji pulled out and rolled onto the grass, panting. Both young men silently put their clothes back in order. They didn't have to speak to know that they once again hadn't really saved each other from any real pain, physically or mentally. In fact, Gaara's body was begging him to sleep again, but he tried to will himself awake. But his eyes kept trying to close despite the fact that his heart wouldn't slow to normal rate and his fever was returning.

They sat in silence, hating what they had become, until Sasuke came to bring them back to the cottage.

* * *

Early that morning, Sasuke found that he couldn't sleep. He crept to the main room to find some food, and to his surprise, Haku was putting his shoes on to leave.

"I'm going to see how Yashamaru and the others are doing," Haku said. "I can't ask anyone to come with me. No offense, but I can't have anyone slowing me down," he smiled. "It can only be me or Itachi, but Itachi needs to protect you."

Sasuke frowned and nodded sadly. "Okay, but hurry up," he sighed.

Haku smiled gently and opened the door while still facing Sasuke. "I promise that I won't get too close unless I'm sure it's--"

Sasuke eyes had grown very wide, and he was pointing behind Haku. Haku turned to see a hooded figure standing directly behind him. Whoever it was, they had gone completely undetected. Haku quickly stepped back inside and in front of Sasuke.

"Who are you?" Haku asked calmly.

Slowly the person pulled back the hood to reveal wild black hair and a disapproving face. "Where the hell have you been?!" Obito blurted out. "I've been looking everywhere! Stupid Itachi couldn't so much as tell me where the hell you were going!"

Haku and Sasuke visibly relaxed and exhaled.

"Obito!" Sasuke yelled. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah well, stop being so jumpy!" Obito smirked. "Aha! There you are Itachi!" Obito pointed to Itachi, who had just emerged from the bedroom.

But then the air seemed to grow very cold and uneasy. Itachi stood there as if frozen.

"What do you want?" Itachi said lowly.

Obito pouted. "Is that anyway to treat an old friend? I came looking for you and had to travel all this way!"

"What happened?" Sasuke asked softly. "Did you guys get into a fight?"

Obito only grinned. "Itachi… don't drag others into this."

"Obito…" Haku said as he stepped between him and Itachi. "How did you get here? Who told you about us?"

Obito grinned. "I can be very persuasive!" he laughed. And in one quick movement, he pulled something out of his pack and held it out to them. Haku and Itachi didn't flinch, but Sasuke backed up against the wall in terror.

Obito was holding the severed head of Gai out to them by the hair.

"Now," Obito smirked darkly. "Will you come home quietly, Itachi?"

By now Neji was awake and in the room as well. Gaara was still out cold.

"So many beautiful bodies in one place," Obito mused.

"Obito…" Sasuke said, looking sick. "What the hell--"

"It's Orochimaru," Itachi said. "He's taken over Obito's body. There is nothing we can do for him now."

Before their eyes, Obito's appearance melted away, and there Orochimaru stood. "You've given me a lot of trouble, Itachi," Orochimaru said in his snake-like voice. "I'll need your body in the future in case something happens to this one. Come quietly or the others here will suffer for it."

Itachi shut his eyes for a moment, then walked over to Orochimaru. But Haku suddenly got between them.

"No!" Haku said. "We've been through this!"

Orochimaru only stood there with an amused look, leaving Itachi to deal with it.

"Haku," Itachi said firmly. "Take them somewhere safe, where no one can find them or harm them."

"No!" Haku said. "We didn't come all this way for that!"

"Why…" Sasuke asked with tears in his eyes. "Why Itachi? Why my brother?"

"Let's go, Orochimaru-sama!" Itachi said, heading for the door. But Haku got in front of him again and was standing dangerously close to Orochimaru now.

"The sharingan of course," Orochimaru said with a smirk.

"No!" Sasuke protested. "Then why not me?! Let him go!"

"Enough!" Itachi yelled. "I've made my decision and it's my choice! Take one more step forward Sasuke and I'll see to it that you never walk again."

Suddenly Sasuke ran at Itachi and threw his arms around his waist. "You're not going!" Sasuke yelled.

"Get him off of me, Haku," Itachi said, staring forward, blinking back tears.

"Oh how touching," Orochimaru said casually, leaning in the doorway with a smirk.

"Get off!" Itachi said, trying to push his brother away.

Haku, realizing that this could get very ugly, very fast, quickly moved behind Sasuke and started to pull him away.

"Don't make me hate you!" Sasuke yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks. "If we separate what do I have left?! I can't go back home!"

Itachi and Haku finally managed to pry Sasuke away, and Haku held Sasuke in place as he struggled to get back to Itachi.

"You can't!" Sasuke yelled.

Itachi slowly backed up towards Orochimaru. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Forgive me, Sasuke."

But suddenly everyone stopped moving and speaking. The air around them grew very heavy. Neji, who had slipped into Gaara's bedroom to try to wake him and inform him about the situation was now slowly backing out of the bedroom in fear and shock. The others, including Orochimaru, turned towards that same bedroom as they feared what might burst out of it. The amount of chakra emanating from that room now was dangerously immense in power.

"G… Gaara stopped breathing," Neji stammered. "And then he appeared out of no where…."

"Who appeared?" Haku asked nervously. "What happened to Gaara?!"

Suddenly someone stepped out of the bedroom with Gaara unconscious in his arms.

"You!" Sasuke growled with tears still streaming down his face.

Orochimaru's eyes widened greedily and lustily. Standing there, radiating power, was a complete double of Sasuke.

"The one from Gaara's world…" Haku said without thinking. "The other Sasuke."

This colder, more powerful Sasuke glared at Orochimaru with all the contempt he could draw forth.

"If there was time," he said, his voice cold and unfeeling to the ears of everyone who was more used to the cheerful Sasuke they knew, "I would kill you, Orochimaru." He stared coldly, then shifted his focus to Gaara. "But there is no time left."

Suddenly it seemed as though the room was starting to shake violently. Nearly everyone doubled over, as the stress on their bodies from some unknown power was so great. Only Gaara felt none of it, but he was growing colder by the second. Haku clutched at his throat. He wasn't getting enough air. Not far from him he could see that Neji had already passed out from the strain.

Soon dozens of ghostly figures sprang into view. Some of them very hazy, some of them bright and clear. The room around them started to fade in and out of existence. Suddenly the shadows themselves seemed to be gathering around Gaara and the Sasuke from his world. Shadows, and what looked like shimmering strings of energy.

Last there came the unbearable pain, as though they were being squeezed through a tube that was far too narrow.

Through it all, the Sasuke from Gaara's world was the only one to remain conscious as he felt the sudden pull. To everyone else, everything soon became nothing.

* * *

_"We've got him!"  
"Get them out of here!"  
"Critical condition…."  
"…Two S-ranked criminals… one unidentified ninja from the Mist…. And… look at this one… doesn't he look exactly like…"  
"…Hospital wing… brought the Kazekage in…."  
"Serious condition…."  
"…We can't seem to be able to seal it now…."  
"…In custody until future notice…."  
"Stable condition…."_

Gaara suddenly awoke with a start in the unfamiliar room. He knew he had been asleep for days, but in those moments between sleeping and waking he occasionally thought he heard people talking... but it was all muddled together and had little meaning to him. He could make nothing out that could help him. He looked around for the others, but saw that he was alone. Worried, he slowly tried to get out of bed. His first few attempts were nothing short of pathetic. He hit the floor with a thud, and then couldn't stand back up again. It took a good ten minutes before he felt functional enough to walk. But right when he got to the door it swung open.

"GAARA!" Temari practically screamed as she threw her arms around him. "What are you doing out of bed? Get back over there! Idiot!" But although she said these things, she wouldn't release him from her hug. "Oh Gaara… I can't believe it."

For a short time, Gaara was afraid to hug her back. But when he did there was no question in his mind. This was his sister. This was his Temari. Her scent, her voice, her manner.

"I'm home?" he asked softly.

"Yes!" she said in tears.

Gaara suddenly realized, with some embarrassment, that he was in his village and hadn't recognized it. He hadn't recognized it because he usually had no reason to be anywhere near the hospital wing. And now that he knew where he was, his body started to relax and shut down. Gaara slumped forward into his sister's arms and everything went dark again.

* * *

Kakashi refrained from reading his favorite book and straightened his forehead protector over his eye. Frankly, he was glad that Gaara was back, because the younger ones were getting more and more anxious and hurt the longer he was away. Especially Naruto. Naruto wouldn't be quiet about getting Gaara back. It was understandable, of course, but teenagers were so jumpy sometimes.

Kakashi walked up just in time to pass a very dismal-looking Gai in the hallway.

"Neji will pull through, Gai-sensei," Lee said firmly, patting his teacher on the back. "He'll be cross if he discovers we didn't have faith."

Gai straightened, fire burning in his eyes. "Of course, Lee! The power of youth will see him through."

Kakashi sighed. It was always like this, with Gai being so overemotional. "How is he?" he asked.

"He's dying," Lee said solemnly. But he looked up to Kakashi with determined eyes. "So he'll be better in no less than three days."

Kakashi nodded. He sometimes envied the faith Gai's team had. They all seemed to have a deep understanding of each other. Even Neji, who was the most serious and mature of the group, was completely in tune with his teammates.

Kakashi slipped into Neji's room. He wasn't surprised to see Sakura there, checking his progress with her medical knowledge. Hinata was also there, sitting by Neji's bedside, worried for her cousin. Both young women smiled when Kakashi waved and walked in silently.

The truth was that Neji was the reason Gaara was back and the reason things were mending. Other people were involved, of course, and in a big way. But Neji had been instrumental to saving Gaara's life. But through his efforts he had reached his limits, and was now pale and lifeless and asleep. He didn't know that Gaara was saved, and he didn't know how many of the sand villagers were grateful to him.

A creek came from the other side of the room and they all realized that someone else was in one of the beds. The bed was surrounded by a curtain, and the person had to have just recently been moved into the room. Neji, like Gaara, had been sleeping for days. No one saw when this new patient arrived.

A small thud told them that the person was getting out of bed. Someone still dazed by sleep clumsily moved away from the bed and through the curtain.

"Oh… Kakashi…" said the young man in a soft, gentle voice. "Where am I? Where are the others?"

Hinata couldn't understand the fear or surprise that suddenly griped Kakashi or Sakura that made them both stand rigid and back against the walls. The young man looked completely harmless, with long dark hair that was slightly messy now, and a youthful face and graceful movements. But she received a shock of her own when the young man's gentle face slowly became one of anger. He was glaring straight at her, and suddenly bolted at her. Fortunately, Kakashi was quick enough to catch and hold him just before he could strike her.

"What did you do to him?!" the young man yelled, looking at Neji. "Kakashi… she'll kill him!"

"Calm down!" Kakashi said, holding him tightly and pulling him away from Hinata.

Sakura was still backed against the wall in shock.

"What's going on?" Lee asked, walking in looking concerned. Tenten, who had just arrived from a meal, trailed in behind him looking completely confused.

The young man stopped struggling and stared wide-eyed at Tenten.

"How?" he said softly. "I saw you die…."

"What's this?" a deep voiced asked.

The young man turned to see Gai enter and nearly collapsed to the floor.

"No…" he said. "How? I don't understand." He looked to Kakashi. "Nearly everyone in this room is supposed to be dead!"

Kakashi looked down at him for a long moment before speaking. "So are you, Haku."

* * *

The doctors were only semi-surprised to find that Gaara had managed to sneak away from his bed sometime during the early morning. He made no real effort to run or hide; they just assumed that he would sleep longer than he did. It had already been days, after all, and he hadn't woken up.

But now Gaara stood on the roof of the Kazekage building, looking out over his village. There had definitely been an attack, and a fire on the southern side of the circular village. But repairs were underway. If there was one thing that could be said for the sand village, it was extremely efficient.

Judging by the extent of the repairs, it would seem that the village hadn't been attacked in a while. But he strongly doubted that his presence alone would be much to deter enemies. People heard stories about Gaara, like bad dreams and fairy tales. Few people actually saw what he could do, because if he had to show them it probably meant they wouldn't live to talk about it later. He was not blood-thirsty as he was in the past under the influence of his demon Shukaku, but he rarely rose his hand against anyone so his powers were still a mystery.

He looked down at his hands and opened and closed his palms. He strength was returning. His chakra was starting to flow at a normal rate again. He had no idea what had happened to him behind that door, but now he felt as though a weight had been lifted. But he had to wonder what had happened to the others. He had fallen asleep, and then suddenly found himself back here with only shreds of memory to tell him that something major and painful had happened to bring him home.

"Back to work already?" a friendly voice asked. "You're one hell of a Kazekage."

Gaara turned to see his brother Kankurou standing behind him.

"You're predictable though," he said. "I knew you'd be here."

Gaara smiled slightly. He was happy to see Kankurou alive and well. Gaara didn't move or speak, but Kankurou saw that smile and knew what it meant coming from someone as stoic as Gaara often was.

"So you missed me too?" Kankurou chuckled.

"How exactly did I get back?" Gaara asked, turning back to look out over the village. The sand in the distance was gathering into a sandstorm.

"Team effort," Kankurou said, walking to his side. "And a very long story."

* * *

_A week ago…._

"I've got it!" Temari said, walking into the counsel chamber with some very old looking documents under her arm. She carefully set them in front of the counsel members. "That door was there long before this village. In fact, one of the original, secret purposes of this village was to serve as a base for protecting that door."

"So what's inside?" Kankurou asked, lack of sleep weighing on him. "Where is Gaara?"

"Neji and Shikamaru from The Leaf weren't far off," she said. "This does have something to do with the demon beasts. According to the translations, there are beasts in existence who go unnoticed because they aren't given a number and don't have any tails. One is said to rest beyond that door. It's known as the Dreamer and the Watcher. If one of the demon beasts or the host of one is led to that door, it is taken inside and its chakra drained slowly. It's not immediate death, but more like a prison or a place of suffering.

"The translations seem to imply that this one beast can take the subconscious thoughts and dreams of the other nine demons and use them to make them real. The dreams of the others become his own, and it must remain sealed so that reality as we know it doesn't unravel by becoming his dream reality. Other sources imply that all subconscious thoughts and dreams, not just those of the demons, can become part of this beast's reality."

"Gaara's chakra probably has some residual chakra from his demon from before it was removed. That's why Neji told us that he was taken inside because of Shukaku."

"I don't know about all of this dream nonsense," Kankurou said, "But how do we get him out?"

"Unfortunately," Temari sighed, "The plan we had before was our best bet. Using Naruto's Kyuubi demon chakra to open the door again while you guys pull him out. Naruto has agreed to do it again, and this time we could have him circle the perimeter so he can weave in and out of range of the beast's chakra."

"Let's go then," Kankurou said before the other counsel members could protest. Some of them saw Gaara as a lost cause and Kankurou wouldn't hear of giving up on him from anyone.

"We have one problem," Temari said softly so that only Kankurou could hear when he approached.

Temari led Kankurou to the hospital ward and into a room. Neji was alert and awake, but clearly very weak. His cream colored uniform was stained with his own blood. He sat up in bed slowly, though Hinata pushed him back down again.

"Are we going again?" Neji said, his voice stronger than he looked.

"What happened?" Kankurou asked.

"It's insignificant," Neji said calmly, though he was speaking more to Hinata than to the others as she firmly held him on the bed.

"Neji was injured in an attack while he was trying to keep track of Gaara," Temari said, the appreciation in her voice apparent. "He was injured because he wouldn't let go." She met Neji's eyes. "This presents a problem."

"I can find him again," Neji said.

"Your chakra is too low, cousin Neji…" Hinata said softly in her sweet voice. "You've been at it for too long. You need rest."

"Can't you find Gaara, Hinata?" Temari asked.

Hinata shook her head gently. "Neji's abilities are stronger than mine," she said sadly.

"He's getting weaker," Neji said. "He'll be dead very soon if we don't get him out." There was no panic in his voice, and no pain. Only calm logic and strength.

"What about Ino?" Kankurou asked. "Hasn't she seen him?"

"Whenever her mind returns from that mind transfer jutsu she hardly remembers anything she saw," Temari said. "It's as though she woke up from a dream and has to grasp for the details. She says that when she goes back in she feels as though she regains what she lost, but that hardly does us good if she just loses her memory again when she returns to us."

"In other words," Neji said, "With the time we have, I'm the best you can do for now."

--------

Neji's injuries were worse than they had anticipated. Some of his wounds reopened and cast more bright blood through his clothing. But he bore the pain and calmly knelt down upon the door, pressing his hands down on the surface. For a long while, he knelt there concentrating.

Shikamaru and Kankurou stood at his side, ready for instructions.

Suddenly Neji's eyes opened, the veins standing out around his eyes. He couldn't explain it, but Gaara's body was very apparent now. Or rather, it was as though some other life force was holding on to Gaara, serving as the perfect guide to his location. Neji stood and pointed down, to a spot in front of him. "Aim there," he said.

Shikamaru looked to Kiba and nodded, and Kiba let out a loud, shrill whistle. From off in the distance, his large dog Akamaru could be seen running towards them. On his back was Naruto, his blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. With amazing speed, Akamaru started to circle the parameter of the area. The group felt a wave of energy as Naruto heightened his Kyuubi chakra.

Suddenly the snake-like chakra shot through the door, heading straight for Naruto. The path was open.

"Go!" Neji said.

Shikamaru and Kankurou set to work, both of them focusing their chakra. Shikamaru's shadows charged down through the door and Kankurou's chakra strings did the same.

"Twelve meters deeper," Neji instructed still pointing.

It was then that they all felt something powerful approaching. Shikamaru and Kankurou dived out of the way as a dozen vines of chakra burst from the door. To their shock, one of them pierced straight through Neji's mid-section. But Neji hadn't moved an inch. He continued to point. He winced in pain and the blood was pouring from him now, but he hadn't moved an inch.

Shikamaru and Kankurou jumped up again and started to assist once more. Telling Neji that he was too hurt to continue was pointless. Neji was telling them that just by continuing to stand there.

"Five… meters… more," Neji said between deep breaths. "THERE!"

Kankurou was suddenly aware that his strings of chakra had latched on to something solid. A few moments later Shikamaru's shadows had grasped the same object. With all their power they started to reel in their find. Neji was the only one to perceive that the strong force that was holding Gaara had disappeared. With his vision he noted that someone had seemed to materialize far in the distance. Dimensional travel… he thought in passing, trying to stay conscious. He looked like… Sasuke….

"Do we still have him?" Shikamaru called out.

"Yes…" Neji said, shaking off his tired feeling. The vine of energy roughly dislodged itself from his body, and a sickening splash of blood hit the surface of the door.

In the distance Akamaru was dodging and weaving between vines of energy. Occasionally Naruto would yell something, and the dog would suddenly stop just before a large wave of energy burst at them through the door.

"How are we doing, Neji?" Shikamaru asked again. But this time he received no answer. He turned to Neji in time to see him fall forward, unconscious.

"Hey!" Kankurou yelled. "Look!"

A hand slowly emerged from the door's surface as though it were made of water, being held by Kankurou's strings of chakra. Temari abandoned her duties of observation to run down and grab Gaara's hand, pulling him bit by bit through the door. Kiba ran down to assist her, and together they pulled him free and carried him away from the door. Once at a safe distance, they put Gaara on Kankurou's back and he carried him to safety.

Kiba quickly ran back and let out another shrill whistle, and Akamaru and Naruto bounded off to a safe distance again.

* * *

"We managed to retrieve Neji and several other injured people, but the gateway is still open and hasn't calmed down at all," Kankurou said in conclusion. "Naruto sustained no injuries. Neji's condition is the most critical."

Gaara's eyes closed for a moment, but they couldn't block out the sun.

"He was out there often, wasn't he?" Gaara said softly.

"All the time, now that you mention it," Kankurou said thoughtfully. "He only left when he was needed in battle. Then he went right back out there. Hell if we know when he ate and slept. Don't get me wrong, we were all trying to get you back, Gaara. But the village needed saving."

"You did well," Gaara nodded. "Casualties?"

"Light," Kankurou said.

"One is too many," Gaara said, "But in war that makes me proud."

"Yeah," Kankurou said. "And to think we had people like the Uchiha brothers roaming around. It's a good thing the gate went insane when it did. They were probably aiming for you."

Gaara froze. "The Uchiha? Itachi and Sasuke?"

Kankurou blinked. "I forgot you haven't been completely briefed. They were captured at the dig site. Odd though. It was pretty damn easy."

"Too easy…" Gaara said softly, his head lowered and his eyes shifting in thought. "Did you find anyone else?"

"Just one more," someone said. Gaara and Kankurou turned to see Kakashi. "And I must admit, this comes as a surprise," Kakashi said as he motioned to Haku at his side.

"Gaara!" Haku said in surprise. "You're alright!"

Gaara's eyed widened in surprise. "I wasn't the only one who came through the door," Gaara said. "We made the mistake of thinking that I was the only one who could pass."

"I lost track of the others," Haku said. "And Orochimaru as well…."

Gaara looked out over the desert, then suddenly turned to Kankurou. "Take us to Itachi and Sasuke."

Kankurou nodded without questioning, and the group went down to the immense jail hidden under Suna. Kakashi, being Sasuke's former teacher, was especially eager to see what was going on.

The first of the two cells they came to, in the darkest more guarded area, was Itachi's. Gaara unlocked the doors and shut down all of the traps. Kankurou and Kakashi watched in shock as he went straight in.

Gaara was not at all surprised to see Itachi sitting there, his face covered with a thick blindfold, his arms chained to keep him from forming any seals. He was unconscious.

"Gaara," Kankurou said as Gaara got closer. "Why are we in the cell of an S-ranked Akatsuki member?"

Kakashi started to move closer to Gaara. He could sense something wasn't right.

"This isn't the same Uchiha Itachi as the one you knew, Kakashi," Gaara said. "But he is Uchiha Itachi." Gaara knelt next to Itachi's lifeless form and started to take off the blindfold.

"Are you crazy?!" Kankurou snapped. "If he even looks at us we'll die."

Itachi stirred suddenly after the blindfold had been removed. The moment his eyelids fluttered Kakashi and Kankurou stared downward, not looking into his eyes.

"Gaara…" Itachi whispered. "Where is Sasuke…. He was with me…." He looked around wearily. "Who were we captured by…? I can't remember…."

Gaara knew this situation was not going to reflect well on him to his counsel or followers, but to leave a good man in this type of custody was inhuman. He undid Itachi's chains. "We have to get him to guest quarters without people seeing him."

"Gaara…" Itachi said, looking up. "I'm not going anywhere without my brother…."

Kakashi looked up in surprise. By chance, he met Itachi's eyes.

"Kakashi?" Itachi said, slowly standing up with help from Gaara. "Kakashi, you're alive! I thought you'd been…" he started to sink to the floor again and Gaara caught him. After a few moments, Itachi looked up at Kakashi again. "What happened to your eye, Kakashi?" Itachi asked.

Kakashi was looking at him carefully. When he last saw Itachi he saw a cold-blooded, hardened criminal who was dangerous in so many ways that to cross him and live was a miracle. But now… he only saw a young man. A very tired, bruised, young man.

"An old injury," Kakashi said in regard to Itachi's question.

"Something Rin couldn't fix?" Itachi said as Gaara started to help him out of the cell. "Didn't think it was possible…."

At the mention of Rin's name Kakashi froze in place. After a moment, he followed.

Kankurou was still on pins and needles at the entire situation. He was careful not to meet Itachi's eyes more than necessary and was fully on his guard.

"This may come as a surprise," Gaara said to Kakashi as they moved on to Sasuke cell.

The door was unlocked and the traps disarmed once more. The same chains and blindfold were around Sasuke, but Sasuke was awake, alert, and shaking out of fear.

Itachi pulled away from Gaara and without thinking of who would see, pulled Sasuke into a hug.

"Sasuke," Itachi said gently. "Relax." He pulled the blindfold from Sasuke's eyes and Gaara undid the chains. The entire time, Itachi stayed close.

"I think," Kakashi said with a sheepish smile, "This is all I need to see to be convinced that these aren't the same Uchiha that we know so well."

"I don't care who is convinced of what," Kankurou blurted out. "If I see so much as a flash of the Sharingan eye I will personally stab that person in the face."

* * *

Getting Sasuke, Itachi, and Haku into secure guest quarters was fairly easy for Gaara. Getting the members of the Konoha squads, as well as his own counsel and elders to believe what had happened to him behind the door was harder. He knew he had to get them to believe him, because at this moment there could be a second Orochimaru with the body of an Uchiha wandering around somewhere. If the Neji from the alternate world had arrived too, it would have been easier for him to prove himself because both Nejis would be there to prove that doubles of each person existed somewhere else.

To Gaara's surprise, the members of the Konoha squads were very important players in convincing everyone.

"The young man, Haku, should be dead," Kakashi said. "Sakura is a direct witness of his death and Naruto saw the body. We were all there when he was buried as well. His grave still sits in the village in which he was killed and we can verify the location. Furthermore, we just got word from our decoders in Konoha. The fingerprints taken from the dead body and cataloged years ago match those of the young man that we see walking around alive here."

"There are other things as well," Sakura said. "We did a medical examination on both Sasuke and Itachi. This Itachi has near perfect vision, something we know that the Itachi of our world does not have. And this Sasuke does not possess Orochimaru's curse seal or the scars or marks associated with ever using one, which our Sasuke has."

"Every time Ino returned she thought she remembered seeing other places and people," Shikamaru commented. "It all fits. If there is another demon in there it's mind would have overpowered hers with its dreams and mental state while dreaming. The result is that she rarely remembered what happened, and anything she did remember she could dismiss as a dream. But then once she returned to the dream world her subconscious recalled everything back."

"But Neji couldn't see anything," Kankurou commented.

"The problem was that Neji was seeing too much," Gai said. "According to him it was like trying to find a small light directly in front of the sun. The amount of chakra he had to detect Gaara through was immense. And he's been working under those conditions for weeks now."

The entire meeting fell into silence until Shikamaru spoke up. "Considering that both pairs of Itachi and Sasuke are technically runaway members of Konoha, wouldn't they be our responsibility? If they really are copies of each other, regardless of world, they'd most likely be more at home in Konoha." He sat back in his chair. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be the one who has to try to defend these two when we march them into our village and proclaim that they are no threat when they look exactly like the other two."

"So," Sakura said, "We have to find a way to send them home to their own world. Once that demon dreams of something, it becomes real. They need to go home."

Temari blinked. "But Gaara said that the conditions there were horrible. Wouldn't it be more responsible to give them a choice in the matter? The cliché inclination would be to tell them that they have their own world and we belong in ours. But I see no reason why this has to be the case."

"They are in just as much, if not more danger here," Kakashi said. "Orochimaru may be after them in their world, but think about what will happen when the real Itachi of our world figures out that someone has his exact potential and that his plans to slaughter all Uchiha except him and our Sasuke were foiled." He cleared his head, as things were getting very confusing. "Furthermore, Shikamaru is right. If people see Itachi or Sasuke, they will be captured and killed."

"We will discuss sending them back when we know more about opening and sealing the gate," Gaara said calmly. "That is our biggest problem now. We have a very potentially dangerous being behind that door, and now the pathway is open and we can't close it. Nor do we know why it's staying open now."

"Can't we just… wake it up…?" Naruto asked.

Everyone stared at him and he grinned sheepishly.

"As stupid as that sounds," Kankurou blinked. "It's the most logical solution so far."

"But how do we wake it up?" Sakura asked. "We can't halt a flow of chakra that strong."

"Maybe we can disrupt it," Temari offered.

"But the only one it will accept now--" Sakura began, turning to her side.

"Is me," Naruto said.

"No," Gaara said. "Who will we use to get you out?"

"I'll claw my way out," Naruto said with determination in his eyes. "What if someone else like you or me passes by? Or what if it happens in the future and they don't have anyone who cares about them? What if you get taken again and you really die this time?" He stood up and started to pace. "Besides, unlike you, I've still actually got my demon inside me. That has to make some kind of difference."

"The difference being that you going in is exactly what the thing inside probably wants," Shikamaru interrupted. "If those translations of the door are correct, then that place serves as a prison for people with demons or the demons themselves."

"It must feed on the demon chakra and any chakra associated with it," Temari said. "It must have drained Gaara of his traces of demonic chakra, or it would have tried to retrieve him."

"Are we forgetting this thing is sentient?" Kankurou said. "It yelled at us before it took Gaara."

"So you wanna go talk to it?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.

Gaara sighed softly. "We'll take a break for today. I have more I need to look into."

* * *

"I managed to stop the bleeding and we used his hair to regenerate damaged cells through a special alchemic technique that Shizune taught me," Sakura said, speaking to Gai in front of Neji's hospital room. "But even though we did that, I noticed that he's healing at a much faster rate than normal. It's as though the residual chakra from his wounds helped him more than hurt him. Also, due to his highly advanced chakra circulatory system, his chakra levels are increasing exponentially. In other words, he'll be fine, Gai-sensei."

Gai nodded. "Thank you Sakura. You've saved one of my precious students!"

Sakura smiled at Gai's enthusiasm and excused herself for some rest.

"Nice!" Gai laughed.

"Nice!" Lee parroted.

"Nice!" cheered a very cheerful looking Sasuke.

Gai and Lee turned to see him there, dressed in a sunshine yellow shirt and grinning brightly.

"Sorry," Sasuke smiled. "It seemed like such a powerful moment…."

"Ooooh," Gai regarded him thoughtfully. "I like this one more than the one we knew before." He gave him a thumbs up and a twinkle in his eye and Sasuke did the same happily.

"That's enough of that," Kakashi said, as he walked down the hall. "That image will be burned into my head forever."

"He is so adorable!" Tenten cooed as she patted Sasuke on the head. "Can we keep him?"

"Yes can you?" Sasuke asked jokingly.

"The real Sasuke probably wouldn't like you all trying to replace him when he got back," Naruto said, leaning against a wall not far from them and glaring.

"Naruto!" Sakura said, appearing from around the corner and trying to pull him away. "Come on!"

"No!" Naruto said, approaching Sasuke and backing him against a wall. "I can't accept this. We're sending you home."

"Naruto," Sakura said, pulling on his sleeve. "It's not his fault. He's not some fake. He's a different person." She looked at Sasuke. "I'm sorry, he's exhausted after trying to save Gaara."

"Thanks not it!" Naruto said. "You're all accepting him so easily just because he looks like Sasuke and as though you've known him for years. But he isn't Sasuke!"

"Then who am I?" Sasuke frowned. "If I'm not Sasuke then who am I?"

"Just a copy," Naruto said before walking off.

"H… he's not normally like that," Sakura said. "Sasuke is just a touchy subject for us, and like I said, he's so exhausted and overworked over Gaara." She looked at him for a long time, but then had to avert her eyes. "You have to understand something. By accepting you, some of us feel as though we're betraying him." She looked down sadly for a bit longer, then nodded to him slightly before following after Naruto.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, hanging his head and apologizing to those remaining.

"It's not your fault," Kakashi said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "With time they'll understand that you don't betray one good person by accepting another good person."

Silently they all stood, until curiosity got the better of them. They stood talking with Sasuke about the horrors of his world, and how it differed from their own.

---To Be Continued---


	9. Clouded

(The previous chapter is being posted just shortly before this one, so make sure you read both! Or you'll be REALLY confused later. ;) )

**Mirror of Beyond 9: part IX: Clouded  
**

_Hanabi…_ Neji thought sadly. _Did it hurt this bad for you? What were you thinking when I didn't come to save you? Was it really… this painful…._

It had been weeks since Neji had been in that cabin. Weeks since he woke up and realized that Haku, Sasuke, Gaara, and Itachi were no longer there. The last thing he remembered was that horrible crushing sensation that filled his body. He remembered Orochimaru wanted to take Itachi away… and he remembered another who looked like Sasuke, carrying sick and dying Gaara in his arms. And then it was so painful.

But not as painful as now. When he came to he was back in Konoha. Orochimaru had taken him and thrown him in a jail cell, cold and alone. Neji called out for Itachi, Gaara, Haku, and Sasuke, but none of them responded. He was really alone there. And worst of all, he knew he was waiting… hoping… for them to come save him.

But then it really seemed very naïve, to wish to be rescued from Orochimaru. But why was he the only one captured? He could only guess that they left him. He was the weakest, the least liked, and the most useless. He would have been glad to leave _himself_ behind if given the opportunity, but he wouldn't have expected it from them.

Had Hanabi really expected much of him? Did it make her foolish if she did?

The cell door swung open and Orochimaru stepped through with a lantern in hand. He set it aside and shut the door behind him.

"Oh, you're shaking, you poor thing," Orochimaru smiled with his pale, serpent-like features.

Neji backed up against the wall in fear. Orochimaru was right. He was shaking from head to toe.

"I've thought about it," Orochimaru smirked. "You couldn't possibly have had anything to do with Itachi's little escape, or murdering your clan." He reached out and gently grasped Neji's upper arm, feeling the weak muscles there, and Neji froze in terror. "You're far to delicate for something like that," Orochimaru said with a knowing, eerie smile. "So putting you in here was a mistake on my own part, and I apologize fully."

Neji parted his lips to say something, but nothing came. He was too afraid. He wanted to disappear into the wall.

"But," Orochimaru smiled darkly. "I can't just let you run free around the village. You are, after all, a Hyuuga. And one of the last. If someone kidnapped you to learn the secrets of your eyes it would be terrible. And you were a servant, but the head family no longer exists. Therefore, you have no way to support yourself properly. So," he smirked and leaned down a little to look into Neji's eyes. "You'll work for me, or there might be consequences."

"Wh…what…" Neji stammered. But his voice caught in his throat and he struggled to clear it.

"What will you have to do?" Orochimaru asked for his benefit, and Neji nodded slowly, his body still trembling.

Orochimaru's dark smirk extended, and Neji's fears increased.

"You'd be one of my servants," Orochimaru said simply. "An attendant to my… needs. And you'd attend any of my guests who might need extra persuasion to my many endeavors. Do you understand?"

There was no mistaking that look in his eyes. Neji had seen that look many times in his past from his uncle.

"You want me to be your whore…" Neji said softly.

"I wouldn't use such a vulgar term," Orochimaru said, looking down into Neji's eyes with a cold smile. "Though some of your duties might be similar, it will be nothing so… unfulfilling."

"…If I say no?" Neji asked, still shaking.

To his surprise Orochimaru backed up a bit and shrugged lightly with a smile. "As I said, we can't have you leaving the village for fear that you might be kidnapped for the secrets of your blood. And I can't let you wander the village. So you might have to stay locked up for your own safety." He looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing off to the side. "Hinata was well-liked in the village, wasn't she?" He returned his gaze to Neji. "It would be a pity if someone found out who her rapist and killer was. He would have to be someone very cruel. I don't think people would go easy on him."

Neji swallowed hard and tears of fear rolled down the sides of his face. Slowly he walked over to Orochimaru, his head lowered. "I'll do it," he said softly, his tone that of one completely defeated.

Orochimaru smiled and turned around, opening the cell door. "Come then," he said.

* * *

At first Neji thought he had been taken to the wrong place. He was led to a room that was supposedly his, in a large mansion of a building that was hidden in the woods but not far from Konoha. There were several young men like him wandering the mansion as though they had lived there all their lives. They were completely comfortable. They were clean and well fed. Neji half wondered if they were all here for the same thing. 

But the room… it was something to behold. It was large and lavish, dressed in crimson and gold. The bed was very large. Neji quickly cleaned himself up, taking a long shower so as not to dirty up the room he was given. He assumed it was temporary, otherwise all of this seemed wasted on him. After the shower he stared into the mirror. He looked as though he hadn't slept in years. He looked defeated. With a deep sigh he walked into the bedroom and dressed in the clothes left for him on the bed. Crimison and gold robes. For the first time in his life, he knew luxury. Surely this was all someone's mistake or joke.

There was a knock on the door and Neji hurried to open it. It was Orochimaru. Neji bowed his head and stepped back, letting Orochimaru inside and allowing him to shut the door. Orochimaru looked him up and down with an approving smile.

"I've come to test your sense of duty," Orochimaru grinned.

Neji blinked and reached to undo his robes again. "Yes, Lord Orochi--"

"Wait," Orochimaru smirked. He gently pulled Neji's hands from his robes. "Not yet. These clothes suit you."

Neji was still in a state of fear. He didn't dare fight it when Orochimaru gently grasped his shoulders and pulled Neji forward so he could kiss him. To Neji's great surprise, the kiss was slow and gentle. He kissed back obediently, knowing that if Orochimaru wasn't pleased it would probably be the end for him.

The kiss grew more intense and Orochimaru's tongue entered his mouth. It was long and snake-like, longer than a human's should be. And again, Neji accepted it as Orochimaru's tongue explored his mouth hungrily. When the kiss was broken Neji was almost gasping for air.

"Obedient and eager to please," Orochimaru said in satisfaction.

Neji lowered his head, not knowing what to expect next. His long hair, still damp from his shower, hid his frightened face.

"Rest well," Orochimaru said to his surprise. He looked up as Orochimaru turned and opened the door, stepping outside of his room. "Dinner should be served downstairs soon. I hope you enjoy the company of the others here." With a wicked smile, Orochimaru left.

Neji felt completely relieved, but also completely dumbfounded. All he had endured was a kiss, and it must be confessed that it was in no way unbearable.

Dinner with the other boys was much more than pleasant. They all sat at two large, long tables are were fed the best of foods. They all looked content and they dined on any kind of meat they wished. There were many kinds of vegetables and pasta and desserts. The food was provided by older cooks. Neji ate his fill, having never eaten this well in his entire life.

"You must be Neji," someone said beside him. It was a young man who looked as though he were in his twenties. Neji couldn't believe he had hardly noticed him. The young man was stunning to behold. He had a very youthful, handsome face framed by white shoulder-length hair and highlighted with beautiful sea-green eyes. His body was tall and lean and perfectly built.

"I'm Kimimaro," he said. "If you have any questions or problems, come to me and I will take care of them."

Neji nodded and looked around, as though he hoped to see Gaara or one of the others who left him behind. "What am I supposed to do here when… when Lord Orochimaru isn't around?"

"Anything you wish to do," Kimimaro said with a small smile. "Anything that does not mar your face or body or displease him… or me. There are many acres to this estate and many places to go. We cater to many hobbies here."

"And, that room and these clothes--"

"All yours as long as you are obedient," Kimimaro said.

Neji didn't know what to do or say. Part of him told him that it would be common sense to escape. The other part of him told him that he was in heaven right now. His physical needs for rest and food and relaxation were surpassing his need for good sense, however.

Suddenly a young attendant game scurrying into the room and up to Kimimaro's chair. Kimimaro leaned down as the boy, no older than eight, whispered something into his ear before Kimimaro nodded and patted him on the head.

"Neji," Kimimaro said. "Take your time, and when you are done eating, we have an errand."

"I'm finished," Neji said, watching the little boy run off again. "I can do it now."

Kimimaro nodded and they both stood. Neji followed and was led to a large guest chamber. He decided that he might have to provide a service to someone with his body. That is, until he saw Orochimaru standing there with what looked like a prisoner. The prisoner had a sack over his face to hide it and had his hands cuffed behind his back.

"This young man was causing some displeasure around the village," Orochimaru said. "Neji, I want your honest opinion on what you would do with him if you were me." He pulled off the sack to reveal the young man's face. With shaggy dark hair and narrow eyes, it was Kiba, an old acquaintance of Hinata.

"I don't understand," Neji said softly.

Orochimaru smiled at Neji as though he knew something important. He beckoned Neji closer, and the young man obeyed immediately. In the meantime, Kiba tried to run for the door, but Kimimaro quickly got in his way. Neji didn't know why, but Kiba backed down immediately, sinking to the floor in terror.

"I'm going to show you something that may come as a shock to you," Orochimaru said somewhat gently. He held out a few pictures to Neji, and Neji looked at the first curiously. Immediately he dropped them to the floor, his entire body flushing with rage.

"It was you…" he said lowly to Kiba. "IT WAS YOU!"

Neji made a move to bolt over to Kiba but Orochimaru held him back firmly.

"Let me go!" Neji yelled. "Why?! What did she ever do to you?!" Neji yelled at Kiba. "She was just a little girl! An innocent girl! She didn't deserve it! She was all I had!" Tears started to stream down his cheeks against his will, and the whole time Kiba cowered in fear being the presence of Orochimaru.

"Neji," Orochimaru said softly. "You are not to harm him."

"He raped and tortured her…" Neji said, sobbing. "…I can't… without her I can't…." He struggled again weakly, but Orochimaru held him.

"Neji, I asked you what you would do to him if you were me," Orochimaru whispered in his ear.

Neji's face took on a new look. Something horrible and murderous. "You wouldn't do what I would do," Neji said lowly. "I'd throw him in a cell without light and see to it that he was raped and humiliated every night until he bleed. I'd see to it that his screams would go unanswered just like hers. And if his only option out would be to take death and be buried alive as she was!"

Orochimaru looked at Kimimaro and nodded to him. Kimimaro bowed and left.

"It is done," Orochimaru chuckled, one of his hands caressing Neji's cheek. "Exactly as you wish."

Neji blinked away tears and looked into Orochimaru's pale face for a long moment. Shortly after Kimimaro reappeared with a small group of very large, menacing, cold looking men. They pulled Kiba away kicking and screaming.

"You mean… what I just said…" Neji began in disbelief.

"It is done," Orochimaru smirked. He patted Neji on the head and left the room.

Kimimaro held the door open and Neji shakily walked out. A feeling of deep satisfaction started to well up inside of him.

* * *

_"Cousin Neji,"_ Hanabi whispered in his ear. _"You're still not free. The prince… he still isn't free…."_

Neji awoke with a start and looked to his side, as though Hanabi might actually be there. There was only darkness, however, as it was the middle of the night. He slumped back against his pillow and sighed deeply. A breeze from his slightly open window made him conscious of the fact that his blankets were no longer covering his nude body.

"Bad dream?" Orochimaru said softly, nearly giving Neji a heart attack.

Neji forgot about his nakedness and sat up. Orochimaru's shadowy frame was standing at the side of his bed.

"You'll forgive me for being curious about the scenery," Orochimaru said, nodding down to Neji's exposed body.

Neji slowly started to reach for his blankets until Orochimaru spoke again. "Kiba squeals like a pig under the 'care' of my attendants. It is a fitting revenge for that poor child."

Neji's hand stopped reaching for his covers and lowered again. He took a deep breath, and felt that satisfaction in his heart that he had felt earlier. Hinata had paid for her crime, and now Kiba.

"What does Lord Orochimaru wish of me?" Neji asked, his eyes full of that dark satisfaction as he looked up. No matter what Orochimaru had done in the past, Neji's reason for living, Hanabi, was being avenged through him. Neji was in no way guilty for feeling grateful.

Orochimaru reached forward and cupped Neji's cheek, then ran his thumb across his lips. Neji turned his head slightly and slowly ran his tongue up the underside of Orochimaru's index finger, then took it into his mouth, sucking it in then releasing it and kissing the fingertip. Orochimaru watched with a pleased smirk that shone in the slightly moonlit darkness.

"Come here," Orochimaru said, beckoning him closer.

Neji obeyed and got up on his knees on the bed. Orochimaru wrapped his arms around the young man and leaned in, giving Neji another of those slow, passionate kisses with his long probing tongue. When Orochimaru pulled him close Neji realized that all the older man was wearing were thin robes, and there was a hardness growing there that Neji rocked his hips against slowly.

A flash of reddish, sandy-colored hair entered Neji's mind, but he pushed it back immediately. He and Gaara had never really kissed… had they? Gaara… he had to forget Gaara. Gaara left him behind and he'd probably never see him again. Those wise blue eyes… they were gone.

Orochimaru broke the kiss, and Neji stared into his eyes, continuing to grind his hips against him. The older man leaned down again, their lips barely touching. "Lie down," he said.

Again, Neji obeyed and lied down on the bed, his backside against the edge. Orochimaru dropped his robes to the floor, his pale naked body looking very healthy because he had inherited Obito's health and strength. Neji saw the very large erection that had growth as a result of his attention.

Orochimaru parted Neji's legs slowly. "Close your eyes," he said, and Neji did.

Seconds later, Neji felt something very wet between his legs. It was very long, and it wrapped around his erection, squeezing, releasing and stroking slowly. Somehow Neji knew it was Orochimaru's tongue, which could apparently extend to any length the man wished it to. It was frightening and exciting all at once. Neji squirmed against the sensations and started to breath harder, his eyes tightly shut.

It never felt this good with anyone. Not Hiashi, not Hinata, not anyone in the village or his family… or with Gaara. Inexperienced Gaara with his impulsive cravings…. He tried so hard to fight those urges but Neji always wore him down. They never really made each other feel good, did they? What they did with each other, it was to cure loneliness and pass time. To cause pain that would erase the other pains for a short time. But it never worked.

The wet muscle pleasuring him slowly slipped down between Neji's thighs, leaving his body begging for more. With another shock Neji released that he was being probed with that serpent-like tongue, and it firmly broke into his body and pushed itself inside. The saliva coating it made entry easy, and it was pushing in unbelievably deep.

When Neji's prostate was hit was as though explosions were going off in his body. It was not only being hit but massaged and toyed with. Then suddenly the tongue withdrew, leaving Neji more than prepared for what was coming.

Orochimaru stepped forward and Neji drew his legs up and back, allowing the older man easy access to him. And slowly he felt himself being entered and filled by an organ larger than most he had experienced. But it wasn't painful or forced. He accepted Orochimaru into his body very easily and opened his white eyes to see the lust on that pale face hovering above him.

Neji couldn't figure it out. Why was he giving himself so willingly? Why was this so easy? Why was Orochimaru thought to be so heartless? He groaned deeply at the deep, even thrusts as he used his hand to pleasure himself. It felt good. Had it ever felt so good in the past?

_What were we doing, Gaara?_ He thought. _We could have made it feel so much better. Maybe if you hadn't left. You and your stupid tattoo and stupid stories about being something so much bigger than you were. I don't even know what we were running from anymore…._

Deeper… faster… more… more… more….

_What were we running from… the five of us? This man… our leader… why did we think him so bad? I've never been treated so well, never felt this good before._

Right there… deeper… yes… keep going… don't stop….

_He is avenging my beautiful Hanabi. He cares somehow. For him I only have to be willing. I may be one of many fucks for him, only part of a harem, but I've never felt such comfort. Is it really betrayal when I never had anyone or anything but myself? Is it really so wrong to be used for urges that I have as well. I can't be anything better than this._

So deep… I need more… I want more inside… deeper inside….

_Why were you always looking at me like I could be something better, Gaara?_

"Harder… Please…."

_Why did you always look at me with those eyes that expected too much? You have no idea what I'd been through!_

"Mmmm… don't stop…."

_But Orochimaru knew right away what would make me feel good. He doesn't look at me with the disappointment that you did. For that… I'll always hate you, Gaara. What could you possibly know of true pain?_

"Ah… AH…MMMM…."

Orochimaru watched Neji buck and squirm against him. Neji's body had long ago given him his first release, which lay scattered across his own stomach and chest. But he was still writhing with pleasure with every stroke he was given. His long dark hair was messy around his head, and his white eyes fluttered. And a long battle with the pleasure, Neji gave in a second time, just moments before Orochimaru groaned lowly and finished inside of him.

Neji was exhausted, but hungrily accepted a forceful kiss from Orochimaru.

"Sleep now," Orochimaru smiled.

As if by command, Neji slipped into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Kimimaro?" Neji whispered softly as they sat out on the grass with some of the other boys wrestling and fooling around not far off. 

"Yes?" Kimimaro said, glancing at him with a kind look.

"All those things I've heard about Orochimaru being evil and violent… I don't know what to make of them anymore…."

"He is a strong ruler," Kimimaro answered. "He does what he does to keep our forces strong and to make Konoha a feared power. Anything he does is necessary. He is not as horrible as people try to make him out to be."

"He raped someone I knew…" Neji said softly, recalling when he first met Gaara and how they saved Sasuke.

Kimimaro chuckled slightly. "Look around, Neji," he said. "Do you think he'd ever really need to take someone by force? Some boys are simply ashamed, that is all. They do things willingly and lie about it later. It is understandable. Saying you are part of a harem doesn't win many friends in most circles."

Neji thought back to how horrified and hurt Sasuke looked. Did he only look that way because he was caught?

"Neji," Kimimaro said. "Don't concern yourself with things like this. You will live in comfort and luxury now. Matters of war and politics do not concern you. All that is required is your obedience. This is not forced obedience either. This is your job. You are given what you are given because you do your job well. You can leave at any time, but no one wishes you to."

Neji nodded, then looked out over the horizon. Where had the others gone? He wondered if they were still alive. Perhaps clinging to life, or still on the run. He wondered if they could ever live like this with him. But then he thought of Itachi. Itachi could never come near the village again.

Suddenly, without thinking, he whispered, "What about Obito?"

Kimimaro glanced to him. "What about him?"

"Orochimaru stole his body, didn't he?"

Kimimaro allowed himself to smile. "You're a brave one, Neji," he said. "But I won't punish you for curiosity. Just be careful about doubting Orochimaru. Obito gave his body of his own free will. You can't take over a body without consent. The will is too strong."

Neji nodded and stood. "I guess… I've always believed wrong," he said. "I need to clear my head."

Kimimaro nodded and smiled kindly, and Neji walked back inside the mansion and up to his room. He flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He hadn't bothered to close the door, and about an hour later he wasn't all that surprised when Orochimaru entered his room.

"Neji," he said with his sly smile.

Neji sat up and got off of the bed, standing and trying to make his mind blank, as though Orochimaru could read his thoughts.

"What a lonely look," Orochimaru said. "Do you miss your family?"

Neji's looked turned to one of disgust against his will. He couldn't correct it fast enough.

"No?" Orochimaru chuckled. "Then perhaps your friends who left so abruptly that day that seems so long ago now."

Neji looked down for a moment. "I passed out," he said. "What happened to them? You didn't…"

"Kill them?" Orochimaru said. "Of course not. I have no idea where they are. They escaped and haven't been sighted since that day. I was hoping that you would know something about it."

"Nothing," Neji sighed, looking slightly bitter. "I don't know anything…."

"They didn't say where they were going?"

"To some idiotic place that doesn't exist," Neji said. "All because of him. They trusted anything he said."

"Who?" Orochimaru said with genuine interest.

"Gaara…" Neji said lowly. "He really was insane…. I can't believe I listened to him. I can't believe I went that far…. He really seemed to believe that he was from some other world."

Orochimaru stared at him for a moment. The gears were turning in his mind. The ghostly figures he had seen and couldn't explain… people he knew he had killed who suddenly appeared so transparent… and a second Sasuke with more power than maybe even himself.

"Neji," he said with a smile. "Tell me everything Gaara told you about this 'other world.'"

---To Be Continued---


	10. Separation

**Mirror of Beyond: part X: Separation  
**

Gaara made it a point not to see Neji while he was in the hospital. Part of him felt bad for not doing more to see one of his saviors, but as Neji had been unconscious much of the time, Gaara felt it was a forgivable offense. In fact, even after Neji made a full recovery, Gaara still saw very little of him, since he was usually busy taking care of matters related to his village. He knew that Neji had been briefed on the entire situation by now, but Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku hadn't seen him either. Neji, too, was a busy young man. He was, after all, one of the most powerful people Gaara knew in this world… his own world.

Many of the Konoha allies had pulled out and returned home as full defense of Suna was returned to Gaara and the members of The Sand. Perhaps because Tsunade, Konoha's leader, was interested in the research opportunities associated with the mysterious gateway, she allowed teams that Gaara was familiar with to remain. Gaara knew that she also saw the dangers in having doubles of some of history's most dangerous ninja. She was also, of course, very wary about the two new Uchiha who had arrived.

It was a bright, breezy afternoon when Kakashi sat down with Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku for a little chat. He knew things needed to be said that had been avoided until now. They sat outside at a small restaurant, eating on the patio.

"I need to tell you some things in the event that we can't return you home," Kakashi said. "We will do everything in our power to get you through that gateway, but there are a few things you must know."

The others nodded and listened intently. Kakashi smiled slightly. His own Sasuke had never listened so intently. It was almost unnerving.

"First of all," Kakashi said, "I know you said things are bad for you at home, but there would be complications if you stay. Gaara said he is looking in to finding a solution that would be best, however. I don't know what that means, but I trust him."

"It's probably best if we return home anyway," Itachi said. "We don't know the specifics of this gateway."

"Precisely," Kakashi nodded with a kind smile. "Next," he lifted his forehead protector that always covered one of his eyes. Sasuke's jaw nearly hit the table. "In this world, you'll see very few eyes like this," Kakashi said solemnly. "This used to belong to a ninja named Uchiha Obito."

"…Used to…" Itachi whispered in shock as Kakashi replaced the forehead protector over his eye.

"Years ago, when our Sasuke was just entering the academy, the Uchiha Itachi of his world slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan," Kakashi said. "Of the last survivors most popularly known to the ninja world are Sasuke and Itachi. While the two of you are close, these two couldn't be farther apart. Our Sasuke left Konoha years ago and joined with Orochimaru to gain the power to kill our Itachi, who long ago joined up with an organization known as the Akatsuki."

Without knowing what he was doing Itachi rose his hand slowly, indicating that he needed Kakashi to pause. He lowered his hand and stared at the table in front of him. He looked completely drained.

"Itachi," Kakashi said gently.

Itachi shook his head slowly. "I'm a monster in either world," he said softly. "In the other one… all those people…. At the time I --" he put his hand up to his forehead. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Itachi," Kakashi said. "You are a completely different person than --"

"I killed the entire Hyuuga clan in our world!" Itachi said.

"They were helping to destroy Konoha and all other neighboring villages," Haku chimed in. "Itachi, you thought you were doing the right thing. It may have been in the heat of the moment, and you may have been a… little… carried away, but --"

"No!" Itachi said firmly, in a state of somewhat controlled panic. "I see it now. The basic elements are the same. This world is only slightly parallel. Why else would I make the same mistakes?"

"You are not the same as him!" Kakashi said loudly, silencing them all. "A cold-hearted killer with merciless eyes, cruel intentions, and who has tortured and twisted his only brother. THAT is our Itachi. Not you." Kakashi motioned to Sasuke, who sat processing the loss of this world's entire clan. "If you were anything like the Itachi of this world, your Sasuke would be filled with hatred right now." He sat back in his chair. "Sasuke was my student, and one of the most talented people I've ever known. But it came at the price of darkening his soul."

Itachi was still breathing heavily, unable to adjust. All of his years of training couldn't prepare him to face his own demons like this.

"I should continue," Kakashi said, "To get it all out in the open." He waited, but no one protested. "Haku," Kakashi said sadly. "Your other self is dead. From what I can tell he was much like you. Kind, calm, pure to his core. But I didn't know him long. He was my enemy on the battlefield, though we didn't hate each other. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm the one who took his life."

Haku sat there calmly. "Wow," he said before smiling. "He must have been really tough if you needed to get involved Kakashi." He smiled even more brightly. "You did what you had to."

Kakashi nodded, a bit relieved at Haku's response. "I don't think Gaara knows," he said. "He mentioned wanting to know what you were like in this world. I didn't tell him. I leave that issue to you."

Haku nodded and glanced to the other two. The two brothers were in a complete state of shock.

There was more to tell them, but Kakashi wouldn't continue. He and the others of this world had decided not to tell the three young men everything they knew about the demon behind the door. There was no easy way to say that they had come into being because a demon had dreamed them up, if that was indeed the case. But to Kakashi it hardly mattered, because they could not be undreamed. But to them, this was their existence. This was everything.

* * *

It was hours before the three young men were finished talking to Kakashi. Of course, much of that time was spent trying to calm Itachi and Sasuke down. Itachi was so good with his emotions that he had to be encouraged not to hide them and to let them out. Kakashi pointed out that something this heavy would weigh on him too much if he wasn't more willing to talk about things.

After their long talk, they were led to the Kazekage's main study. When they walked in, they were all surprised to see Gaara sitting there in blue robes, a mountain of paperwork at his desk.

"It's always like this," Gaara said with a calm expression. "I didn't miss it."

"Gaara," Haku smiled. "I still can't believe it. Well, I always believed you, but seeing you here… as the Kazekage! You're amazing!"

"The strongest ninja in your village?" Itachi said with a smile. "What an honor."

"We never would have known it while you were in our world!" Sasuke blurted out without thinking. Itachi elbowed him in the ribs.

"You're right," Gaara said with a slight smile. "You couldn't have known while I was there. I was being drained of all my chakra."

"By what?" Haku asked, walking over to the window to look outside.

Gaara was silent for a moment. "Hard to say," he said finally.

Kakashi nodded slightly to him in approval, and left the room.

"We're seeing so many familiar faces," Sasuke said, watching Kakashi leave. "I know it isn't possible, but I would have liked to see Konoha."

"It's a very nice looking village," Gaara said.

"Who is the Hokage?" Itachi asked.

"One of the Sannin," Gaara said. When Itachi looked horrified he clarified himself. "Not Orochimaru. It is Tsunade. She is a strong a capable leader. She is also a valued ally."

There was a knock on the door and Gaara called to the person to enter, thinking that Kakashi had forgotten something. But instead he received quite the surprise.

Stepping inside, in the cream-colored attire that looked like that of a warrior monk, was Hyuuga Neji. His long, dark hair contrasted his light skin and uniform, and most of all, his strong, white eyes that had a silvery shine in the sunlight of the room. He walked inside, tall, strong, and dignified. His forehead protector covered the seal on his forehead, though had it not been there he might have worn that seal without shame. Though Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku had seen his double in their own world, it took them a while to realize who they were looking at.

Neji closed the door behind him and bowed respectfully. "Lord Gaara," he said, in a clear voice. "It is good to see you well. And I see our guests from the other world are here. I'm very sorry to intrude, but I only wanted to speak briefly with you about the gateway. It can wait until later, however." He bowed again and slowly walked towards the door. "It is of no urgent importance. I will return another time."

"Wait," Gaara said, standing slowly.

Neji took his hand from the doorknob and slowly turned around. Gaara suddenly realized that he had no idea why he would keep him here. But curiosity was practically bursting from the others.

"Amazing…" Haku gasped.

"He's a shinobi!" Sasuke pointed like a kid looking at a fantastic toy in a shop. "Itachi look!"

"I see him Sasuke," Itachi smiled. "I'm only five feet away."

Gaara saw the faint smile that formed at one side of Neji's mouth, but it vanished immediately. "A pleasure to meet you all," Neji said.

"Amazing…" Haku repeated.

When Gaara looked at Itachi he saw that Itachi looked many times more relaxed than he had when he first entered the room. Perhaps seeing this version of Neji made him realize that the people between this world and the next really were completely different people, and not destined for the same fates or mistakes.

"I'm sorry, Neji," Gaara said. "I would like to speak to them a little while longer. However, if we could speak later…"

"I understand," Neji nodded before bowing again and leaving the room.

"Amazing…" Haku said.

"Is he strong?" Sasuke asked.

Gaara would have laughed if he were the sort. "I wouldn't want to fight him," Gaara said.

"But you're the Kazekage," Sasuke grinned.

"Neji was the first and only one to be promoted to Jounin of all of the teams around our age group in Konoha," Gaara explained. "He has self-taught himself the most powerful techniques of his clan and is probably currently one of the most powerful people in his village. His entire team is composed of taijutsu experts, and trust me when I say that you wouldn't want to fight any of them either." He walked over to the window to stare outside with Haku. "Had we not briefed him on the situation about all of you, you might already be dead. It only takes one hit from him to kill you, and he is faster than everyone in his room."

"You know a lot about him," Haku said.

"Of course," Gaara answered. "Years ago I was supposed to kill him and many others during our Chuunin exams. I learned quite a bit about him then." He stared at the sparkling sands outside.

"You have siblings," Itachi mentioned, pointing to a picture.

"Temari and Kankurou," Gaara nodded. "My father and mother are dead. These two are my only family."

"What exactly are your powers?" Sasuke asked. "To make it this far at your age… how did you manage that?"

"It's a long story," Gaara said. "But I'm sure you'll see my power soon. Some of our attackers are persistent."

"I wonder if us being here is what's causing the disturbance," Haku said, looking out over the desert in the direction of the door. "I wonder if that world needs us, simply because we are a part of it."

Gaara blinked and looked off in the same direction. He realized then how hard it would be if he were forced to say goodbye.

* * *

As the sun was setting, Neji returned. Gaara, who was tired of his stuffy office, led him upstairs and outside to observe the desert in the setting sun. They stood facing the direction of the gateway, which still had waves and tendrils of uncontrollable chakra swirling around it off in the distance. 

"You can see it clearly?" Gaara asked. "Without activating your ability… you see it from here?"

"As clear as I see you," Neji said gazing into the distance.

A comfortable silence passed between then, and a warm breeze blew past. The sand seemed to glow and sparkle, and the horizon caught fire under the setting sun.

As the warming breeze blew, strands of Neji's long, dark, silky hair caught in the wind and brushed the side of Gaara's hand, which was grasping the railing. Gaara had a brief, guilty memory of grabbing a handful of hair so similar to this and claiming the lips of one so much like him and yet so completely different. But now Gaara couldn't figure out how he could find them similar in the least. Here, with this Neji, he felt a strong, unwavering presence.

Neji's pale hand grasped the railing in front of him and Gaara's mind started to work harder than he wanted at the sight of it. That hand was dangerous. This Neji, unlike the other, was dangerous. With that hand… no… with one finger on that hand, this Neji could kill. And death would be instant. But when he killed you, with his speed and grace and strength, you would die a beautiful death. Gaara nearly winced. Thinking of Neji as dangerous should have made it easier to distance himself. But then Neji still became something beautiful.

Gaara realized that he had placed himself in a bad position. When he was working he felt fulfilled and content. It was hard work to lead and protect an entire village, but he enjoyed it. He liked being needed by others. He thought of little else but his village. But when he was behind the door he learned that he needed to think of himself as well. He needed to just be Gaara. And just-Gaara couldn't get his mind off of the young man standing next to him.

"Neji," Gaara said softly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw that calm face turn towards him. "Why did you go so far to save me?"

"We all wanted you back," Neji said. "You're important to people. Your village needs you."

Gaara never really knew how to be anything but straightforward. "When I was in that other world, I would see things on this side of the door in my dreams," he said. "I was always standing on top of that door, but no one could see me. I realized that those weren't dreams at all, but reality that I couldn't interact with. This is how I came to know that my village was in danger."

Neji slowly turned to gaze out over the desert again. Gaara felt that something he said was affecting him.

"Almost every time I was here in spirit, I saw you there," Gaara said finally. "You were nearly killed." He let the breeze comb through his reddish brown hair for a brief moment before turning back to the desert. "I thank you," he said.

Gaara's ears were well trained to know the wind, and he heard a sound that would be imperceptible to others. A slight breath escaped Neji's lips, as though he wanted to say something important. But that breath was quickly extinguished, and the words held back… perhaps forever. Instead he said, "I'm just glad to see you well, Lord Gaara."

The formality in Neji's voice… the distance in it… although expected from someone who hardly knew him, was a prick to Gaara's heart. It pricked in the same place he felt a prick many, many years ago, when he found out Yashamaru didn't love him. Circumstances were different of course. Gaara didn't love Neji… because he didn't know that kind of love. Not yet. And Yashamaru was family, so it was a different sort of love anyway. But the disappointment pricked him in the same way. Perhaps what he wanted from both of them was complete acceptance and trust without reason. Yashamaru had been his uncle, so he had naively believed as a child that he would connect with him. And Gaara felt a connection with Neji for reasons he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was because they had been connected through Neji's life force more than once. But when it came to giving unwavering friendship, Yashamaru had already failed in that and was now dead because of it. And Neji was too distant to fail in it.

But there was one thing Gaara was sure of as well. Neji was incapable of that kind of betrayal. Neji lived amongst the oddest people Gaara had ever encountered and had been unflinchingly loyal to them. Gaara knew of this from Lee, who he occasionally kept contact with. Neji was a good person. Gaara didn't know if he could say the same about himself. There was too much in his past for that.

"This will sound crazy," Neji said, staring off towards the ruins, "But when that creature pierced me I felt something."

Gaara turned to him curiously.

"It was painful, and vast," Neji said. "If I weren't mistaken, I'd say it was loneliness."

Gaara blinked and looked back at the dunes, though his mind was working. "Do you think it is searching for something to make it less lonely now?"

"That, I'm not sure of," Neji said. "It could really mean to feed or kill. But it isn't happy." He paused for a short time. "I thought you'd understand if I told you," he said softly. "It's not exactly something you put on a formal report."

Gaara glanced to Neji, whose hair was obscuring his face somewhat. "Thank you," Gaara nodded. "I understand." He then thought he saw the veins rise up around Neji's eyes for a brief moment before they relaxed again.

"Temari," Neji said softly.

Gaara didn't understand until Temari climbed the stairs that led her outside to them.

"Gaara," she said. "We found something."

Both young men turned, and Gaara felt long, stray strands of Neji's hair touch his face and hand along with the breeze. Temari held up a dusty text.

"The door has to be sealed from both sides," she said. "Otherwise the beast inside must be drawn out and killed."

"But if we kill it…" Neji began.

"That entire world dies with it," Gaara finished.

"And not only that," Temari said solemnly. "There is no guarantee that those who enter to seal it will return. And, it gets worse." She sighed deeply. "The door that you must close on the other side is the actual, physical door that separates us from the beast. In other words, the demon must be kept contained and docile long enough for us to see the door on the other side without being drawn into the beast's dream world."

"Anyone who enters that door falls asleep and enters the beast's dream, in a manner of speaking," Neji said softly. "But there must be a way to forcibly wake yourself up," he mused, looking out into the distance.

He never told them that that he had seen Sasuke exiting the door, his body and mind fully intact, so easily. He could only guess that Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to see the correct path to enter and exit other dimensions easily, including this beast's dream. In terms of detail, Neji's eyes were technically stronger, but the level of detail he could perceive was working against him now, making everything too bright and strong for him to handle. And bringing Sasuke up now would set off a full-scale investigation that would most likely worry everyone needlessly.

"Do you have any idea how to contain this demon?" Neji asked, returning his focus to Temari.

"I'm still researching," Temari said softly. "But it appears…" she hesitated. "It appears as though it requires us to put it inside someone."

Gaara's eyes widened slightly. "No," he murmured.

"Gaara," Temari said, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. "The village is in danger now."

"You're asking me to do to someone else what made my life a living hell," he said, staring into her eyes fiercely. It had been a long time since she had seen him so upset.

"I'll do it," Neji said firmly. "You have nothing to fear if it's me," he said.

Gaara looked at him, barely containing his resentment at the situation. "Nothing to fear?"

"There are people who would never shun me for it," Neji said, staring down below at the figures of his teammates, unaware of him. "People I know who understand," he said, smirking down at Naruto's figure. "And even in the worst case scenario," he turned back to them, his eyes solemn. "Someone in my family can kill me if something goes wrong and I lose myself."

Gaara's eyes slowly went to Neji's forehead protector, which covered the seal on his forehead. If activated by Neji's head family, he'd be killed in a matter of minutes. He shook his head slowly.

"You don't know what it feels like," Gaara said. "I'll do it."

"You can't, Lord Kazekage," Neji said serenely. "You've suffered enough, and now you have a village to lead." He smiled reassuringly. "Trust in me."

* * *

Gaara realized that as nice as diplomacy was, it was also very time-consuming and complicated. A formal request had to be sent to Konoha asking Tsunade's permission to allow members of Konoha to join a team that was to travel beyond the gateway. Another formal request had to be sent to Lord Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan, requesting that his highly talented nephew Neji be allowed to join said team and possibly become a host for a demon. Then, due to the joint nature of the mission, team leaders had to be decided upon, and the rest of the team would have to swear to be loyal to those leaders, regardless of their village of origin. Naturally, this process was talking days and days to finish.

"We shouldn't need to send a large team if you think about it," Kankurou mentioned. "Haku, Sasuke Two, and Itachi Two will be going back through the door also. They count, right?"

"Of course," Gaara said. "But they would only be able to do so much before they figure out what we are hiding from them. We can't tell them that they are part of a demon's dream world."

"Does it really matter if we tell them?" Kankurou said seriously. "It's not as though they can be undreamed."

"But at what point were they created?" Gaara said, deep in his thoughts. "At what point were their memories and pasts fabrications? I can't let them suffer thinking about these things."

"Gaara," Temari said, looking up from her paperwork. "Hiashi of the Hyuuga clan has responded. The letter just arrived. Hinata is forbidden from entering because in the event that anything goes wrong her ability can't be sealed. But he expresses confidence in Neji's abilities and grants Neji permission to do whatever he wishes."

"But is it wise to put Neji on the away team?" Kankurou sighed, running his hand through his hair. "He's the only one who can see the people who cross over."

"He's also the only one with a chakra system stable enough to contain the energy of something this large," Temari commented.

Gaara winced slightly. He still hated that option. "If we seal something inside of Neji, then we couldn't just keep it there. It will have a negative effect on his body. Vessel sealing techniques are unreliable and unstable."

"We wouldn't be keeping it inside of him," Temari said firmly. "It's a last resort, Gaara, I promise."

Gaara sat completely still, his eyes closed in thought. Suddenly, in the distance, warning bells started to sound. Gaara stood quickly as he heard the hurried footsteps from outside the window. Something had set his village into motion, and his strongest fighters were now on the move.

"Lord Gaara!" an attendent breathed, opening the door to the Kazekage study. "Several dead bodies found," he panted. "Word of invaders in the village."

Gaara slung his large sand gourd over his back and ran outside. He arrived right in time to see Kakashi being taken into custody.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gaara demanded.

"It's alright Gaara," Kakashi nodded. "We would do the same in our own village."

"There is only one invader noted in several accounts," said a man who was helping to arrest Kakashi. "Someone with Sharingan."

Kakashi was pulled to sit against the nearest building. When Gaara's eyes adjusted to the chaos all around him he focused on Itachi there as well. The two were being heavily guarded.

"This still leaves a few suspects," Kankurou said softly to Gaara. "They are still looking for Sasuke Two… and…"

"The Uchiha from this world," Gaara agreed.

"Witnesses indicate one person," a surveillance ninja was whispering nearby.

"Gaara!" Kankurou said, pointing up towards the tops of the buildings.

Gaara looked up, and to his shock he saw a very familiar person standing there, covered in blood.

"Obito…" Gaara blinked. "Of course, there must be an Obito for this world. That must be him…."

"Gaara!" Haku yelled, running up to him. "Gaara! It's not Obito! Not anymore!"

"Not the one we know," Gaara nodded.

"No, you don't understand," Haku said, putting his hands on Gaara's shoulders. "That was the Uchiha Obito from my world, Gaara. The reason he didn't come with us when we ran from Konoha is because his body was possessed by Orochimaru. He is no longer the Obito you knew."

Gaara shook his head, unwilling to believe. "There must be a second Obito. This could be him."

"That isn't possible, Gaara," Haku said gently. He glanced over to Kakashi, then back to Gaara. "Kakashi's Sharingan eye once belonged to the Uchiha Obito of this world. It started out much the same in both worlds, with them as teammates. But now--"

Gaara suddenly stiffened and gently moved Haku out of his way. He stared up towards Obito, his eyes wide. "It's true then," Gaara whispered, noting that a second person had joined Obito at the top of the building. With white hair and pale skin and pale eyes, Gaara remembered that cold gaze. He turned his head and met Lee's eyes. They knew who that was.

"Kimimaro," Gaara said. "In this world, he's dead. It must be true then." He clenched his fists in anger. "Obito, I'm sorry," he murmured to himself.

"So let me get this straight," Kankurou blurted out, reminding them that he was there. "Orochimaru is in our village?!"

No sooner had the words left Kankurou's mouth that he noticed the sand around Gaara's feet starting to swirl. People started to scatter in every direction at the sand's slight movement. They knew that when Gaara started to fight, it would be life threatening to be anywhere where the heavy, harsh sand might crush them.

But then Gaara froze an narrowed his eyes.

"Hostages…" he muttered.

Hyuuga Hinata from Gaara's own world, and Sasuke from the alternate world were there with Kimimaro and Orochimaru. Gaara wasn't sure how they had been threatened, but they weren't making a move to escape. And both were clearly afraid.

"We'll be taking the hostages," Orochimaru smirked down at him, still in Obito's form.

Gaara glared, and suddenly a swirling sandstorm rose up, circling the village and leaving no chance for escape. The size of the storm was immense, circling the entire massive sand village in a perfect circle. Orochimaru seemed utterly surprised and confused until he focused on Gaara again when his new Sharingan eyes.

"I see," Orochimaru smirked. "You really are the Kazekage," he chuckled, noting the chakra emanating from Gaara's body to control the swirling sand. "Fortunately for us, we were just leaving," he smirked.

Suddenly, a large snake, many stories high, rose up from behind Orochimaru, it's mouth opened wide. Kimimaro yanked Sasuke with him and Orochimaru firmly pulled Hinata until all four were standing in the snakes mouth. Then it disappeared.

Gaara stared at the blank spot on top of the building for a moment before he realized what was happening.

"Get to the door!" he ordered. "He's using the snake as a transport. Someone will summon the snake again at the gateway and they'll make their escape. Stay outside of the chakra's range!"

The sand storm around the village started to dissipate. At his order dozens of ninja sprang into action, running through the streets and finally exiting the village at top speed. But Gaara saw the two who were moving before the order was given. Itachi and Neji, using the commotion as cover, had gotten a head start. Itachi to save his brother, Neji to save his cousin. To Gaara's horror, he realized that they wouldn't stop until they reached Orochimaru. And then four people with the strongest bloodline limits in the world would be in Orochimaru's filthy hands.

Gaara was running at top speed and suddenly felt someone's presence right next to him. He turned to see Haku, who was just as determined as him to reach the gateway. But when they arrived, teams were already restraining Neji and Itachi from going any further. Neji was easier to calm, with Gai and Kakashi assuring their fellow Jounin that something would be done. But Itachi was livid. Even Chouji and Kiba from Konoha were having a rough time holding him down.

The white, snake-like chakra was hungrily searching and swirling at the doorway. More of it was visible than ever before. The creature was restless. Gaara looked around and was pleased to see that Naruto was keeping a safe distance.

"They made it through," Haku sighed, frustrated.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. An S-ranked criminal with the power to cross between both worlds, and Gaara had no idea how. But one thing was certain: His village was now under Orochimaru's threat. This gateway was in his territory, and he trusted no one else to take care of it.

Gaara walked over to Kankurou and Temari, who were standing with members of his counsel.

"I'm taking a team," Gaara informed them. "And we're leaving as soon as possible."

"Gaara!" Kankurou said, aghast. "That's irresponsible! You have a village to lead."

"And I have a village to protect!" Gaara replied. "I can't sit here and lose team after team while waiting for Orochimaru to bring an army into the village. I need to know what's going on at every second when it comes to his actions. I'm not going to fail, Kankurou."

Temari sighed deeply. "Who will go?" she asked. "And how will we get you out?"

"Haku and Itachi will be returning with me," he said firmly. "And from our side of the gateway, Neji."

"With the four of you it's basically a standard team with an added team leader," Temari nodded. "And then Hinata and Sasuke will join, so it's good that you're keeping the number of people from this side low."

"And it will be harder to recall us if I send anymore," Gaara said solemnly. "A large team is not ideal for this if we want to get home."

"That still leaves the issue of how you're getting out," Kankurou said.

"We'll contact the Hyuuga clan," Kakashi said, walking up behind them. "Leave it to us."

"Then inform Neji and Itachi," Gaara said. "We're moving out."

* * *

Neji had returned to the village and arrived at the door again with his pack in record time. Even with his speed he was still being trailed by members of Gaara's counsel and well as Kakashi and Gai, getting political issues out of the way. In front of witnesses from both villages, Gaara was temporarily given control of Neji in order to assure that the two remained in a stable relationship for their mission.

"This isn't necessary," Gai muttered to Kakashi. "Neji is never disobedient. He'll listen to Gaara if I ask him to."

"You know he has to go through the motions," Kakashi muttered back. "All Jounin have to do things like this. We'd have to do it if we were going."

"…And keep in mind that to disobey the Kazekage will be considered an act of war," ranted one of the Sand advisors.

"I understand," Neji replied mechanically as he stood staring at the door.

"We're going," Gaara said, trying to spare Neji from his advisors, who he knew could be savage.

Neji nodded and he and a very solemn looking Itachi and amazingly calm Haku walked out onto the door with Gaara in an area where the chakra was somewhat calm. Suddenly they were all grabbed and pulled into very tight hugs.

"Good luck guys," Naruto's shadow clones said in unison, each of the chakra-filled four clones holding on to a member of the party. In seconds, the demon chakra exploded through the door, pulling the four with it in an effort to get Naruto. From a safe distance, Naruto released his clones and felt them disappear, and the team was on its own.

---To Be Continued---


	11. Reunions

(There are two characters with similar names in this chapter. Kimimaro is the handsome, white-haired protector who serves under Orochimaru. He has the power to use his bones as weapons. Kidoumaru is a man who has six arms and spider-like abilities. In this story, the former, Kimimaro, is the more important of the two. Also, the previous chapter is being posted shortly before this one. Don't miss it!)

**Mirror of Beyond: part XI: Reunions**

The whisper of his crimson and gold robes announced his arrival. The young man shut the door behind him as he entered Orochimaru's bedroom. Or rather, one of Orochimaru's many bedrooms in this mansion. Neji felt a sense of relief in the fact that Orochimaru had shed Obito's form and looked like himself again. It made him feel less guilty.

"I have someone for you," Orochimaru smirked, his fingers curling through Neji's hair after the young man stepped close enough.

Neji glanced over to the bed, which was surrounded by dark curtains. He could hear muffled protests, and to his surprise they were being issued from a female. For the rare occasions that Orochimaru brought Neji to service someone, they had always been male.

Neji bowed and took a step towards the bed, but Orochimaru gently grabbed his hand.

"Wait," he grinned with snakelike features. "Neji, this might disturb you a great deal. I don't require that you do this."

Neji opened his mouth to question him, but Orochimaru pressed a finger to his lips gently.

"Stay here," he smiled.

Neji nodded, and Orochimaru's cold finger slipped from his lips. He watched as Orochimaru walked over to the bed and drew the curtains back. The room was dimly lit, but Neji could make out the soft flesh of a young woman. Her clothes had been ripped away and were lying on the floor. Her arms and legs were tied to the bed posts. She was blindfolded, and her mouth gagged.

Suddenly Neji's stomach gave a lurch. He slowly stepped closer, every step sending pain through his heart. His eyes focused on the struggling young woman in the shadows of the dim room and curtained bed.

"Hinata…" Neji whispered in disbelief.

Orochimaru stepped beside Neji and put a hand on his shoulder. With his other hand he reached down and pulled off her blindfold. Her tearful white eyes darted to Neji's and he quickly stepped back in horror.

"Don't be alarmed," Orochimaru said soothingly. "She can't harm you. I've weakened her with my chakra draining sword" he said, pointing to cuts all over her body. "And the seal on your forehead isn't connected to her. You see, this isn't the Hinata you once knew."

Neji was still staring at her, his eyes still horrified, yet disgusted.

"Gaara's world is real, Neji," Orochimaru said. "And I found her there. She walks freely, not paying for her crimes as the one here did. And your counterpart is unfortunate enough to bare the same seal you do. She is once again master in that world."

Neji's fists were clenched so tightly that he was drawing blood from his palms. Hinata was staring at him with a sorrowful expression.

"Neji," Orochimaru cooed his name softly. "You're shaking." He stood behind Neji and wrapped his fingers over his shoulders, massaging gently.

Neji nodded numbly. He suddenly heard Hanabi's desperate screams in his head. The memories came flooding back. He had been so mad with power when he killed Hinata the first time that he hadn't worked through these memories. His poor Hanabi crying…. His uncle fucking him mercilessly against the desk….

He didn't realize that he was moving closer to the bed. Oh, he knew. He knew just by looking at this girl that she was different from his Hinata. He knew this one was somehow softer and gentler than the last. He knew this one was more fragile.

He knew he was too damaged to care.

For her to exist in any place or any time was unacceptable to him. For him to have to believe that Hinata could have a shred of good in her that could transform her into something decent was poison to his soul. He somehow felt as though the happiness of this Hinata might somehow transcend time and reach the wicked one he once new. It might even redeem her. He couldn't have that. Hinata must always be tainted. She must always burn in hell. All versions of her, all souls like her… had to be tainted somehow. She had to be destroyed. He hated her that much.

"Is the packaging to your liking?" Orochimaru asked, gently fingering the material of Neji's silk crimson robes. "We can put her in something suitable for you."

"The ropes," Neji said, lowly. "Could you retie them?"

Orochimaru chuckled, and seconds later he had her arranged as Neji wished, with her ankles tied to the same posts as her wrists. With her legs spread wide and the humiliated girl all but folded in half, Neji could do as he pleased to her.

"Anything else?" Orochimaru asked, clearly amused. He expected Neji to pull away at any moment now as he stood behind him again and let his hands wander. But Neji was not so impatient as he thought. The young man leaned back against him as his hands explored, sliding over the thin silk fabric. He slid his hand between Neji's legs and helped bring his weapon to full attention. Neji suppressed a groan, then slowly pulled a way before he got lost in the moment.

Neji let the robes slide off of his body so that Hinata couldn't dirty them. He got onto the bed with her prone form. She was desperately trying to free herself from her bonds. This fear in desperation in her eyes… he loved it. How he had always longed to see Hinata tortured like this in the past.

Hinata was staring at him in utter disbelief. Her eyes were tracing his face, searching him. He smirked down at her mockingly. He wondered if she could tell the difference between him and her own Neji. He almost wanted to laugh at the fact that he believed this story of some alternate world. But here was Hinata, alive and well. Orochimaru had to be telling the truth.

And he didn't want to admit it… but deep down, he wanted to believe Gaara's words.

But Gaara had deserted him. Regardless of the circumstances, Gaara left him behind.

A heart-wrenching muffled scream filled the room. Without a single care towards his victim Neji buried himself deeply, groaning loudly at the friction as he tore into her, relishing as she thrashed against her bonds at the painful rear entry. He pulled his hips back and thrust forward again, just to hear her scream.

Orochimaru watched from the darkest part of the room, confident that he was forgotten. He liked it that way. He wanted Neji to lose himself in this. He watched as the young man forced his victim to look into his eyes. The way he kept his rhythm to prolong her torture. The look in his eyes when she cried and screamed. Hinata's torture was drawn out to the point where she didn't have the energy to thrash about. But Neji was skilled enough to keep her screaming. The power he had over her was sending him over the edge. This would go on forever if his body would allow it.

When he finished his whole body shuddered and his climax was violent. He inhaled and pulled out of her and got off the bed. Hinata was sobbing loudly, but he paid her no mind. He shut his eyes and let his head roll back a bit, as if he had exhausted himself. His thin body was still nude and her blood still coated him. He slowly opened his cold white eyes and looked over towards Orochimaru.

"What will you do with her now?" Neji asked.

"Lock her up until you're ready to play with her again," Orochimaru smirked.

Just then the door opened and Kimimaro came into the room. He bowed his head respectfully and apologetically. Neji was surprised at his fearlessness. To enter a "meeting" of this sort was forbidden.

"Forgive me," Kimimaro said softly.

Orochimaru smiled at him fondly and gently put a hand on Kimimaro's shoulder. "It must be important if someone as patient as you couldn't wait. What is it?"

Kimimaro stood up straight and leaned in, whispering something to Orochimaru. Neji watched as Orochimaru's snakelike smile grew very wide. The older man started to chuckle and patted Kimimaro on the back.

"It seems I'll be very busy," Orochimaru smiled. "Kimimaro, help Neji with his guest. I'll go attend to mine." And with that he left.

Kimimaro looked over to Neji, who sat there nude with the ravaged girl behind him. She was still on her back and tied so that she was nearly folded in half. He stepped closer to see Neji's handiwork. She was bleeding horribly, trembling, and crying.

"I'll take her to a cell," Kimimaro said calmly.

Neji didn't turn, so he wasn't sure how, but Kimimaro managed to cut Hinata lose easily. Before he could throw her over his shoulder, Neji grabbed his hand.

"…Am I as bad as she is now? Or as bad as my uncle?" he whispered, his eyes growing more and more cold.

"Neji," Kimimaro said gently. "What they did was wickedness. This is merely justice."

Neji nodded slightly, and Kimimaro threw Hinata over his shoulder. She had fainted just moments ago, not that it would have been hard for him had she struggled. Neji wasn't sure what power Kimimaro possessed, but despite his calm nature, Neji knew he was dangerous.

"Go clean up and go down to eat," Kimimaro said. "You look pale."

Neji nodded numbly, then glanced at Hinata. He felt filthy. He felt monstrous. He felt he had darkened his soul a million times over. But her screams were a drug to him. Her pain was all the validation he needed.

He thought of the shock and disbelief in her eyes. It sickened him. His double must have never stood up to her. He must be someone incredibly weak….

* * *

"I must admit," Orochimaru purred, "I didn't expect to see you so soon." 

Fierce black eyes glared at him. "Where is he?" Itachi demanded.

Orochimaru smirked. "I'll ask the questions, Itachi. Now, where are the others hiding?"

Itachi glanced around to the powerful ninja who stood not far from him, on their guard. He couldn't do anything right now. Besides, fighting might endanger Sasuke. Only moments ago Itachi had been found on the outskirts of Konoha, alone. The guards who brought him to Konoha's most high security prison were made up of ninja he couldn't recognize. Konoha was getting worse and worse.

"I don't know where they are," Itachi answered honestly.

"I'm not surprised," Orochimaru mused. "It's a wonder we all didn't get scattered all over the world traveling through that gateway. It's very unreliable." He glanced to Itachi with a knowing smile. "But I think I have a good idea about why you're here. Were you thinking of home? Thinking of Konoha because you knew I'd bring your brother here?"

Itachi lowered his eyes, in thought. Orochimaru was exactly right.

"Really, Itachi, I'm surprised you haven't learned to control your eyes yet," Orochimaru sighed with a smile. "Dimensional travel is a very advanced Uchiha technique. Obito didn't know how to use it either, but I've practiced with these eyes of his."

"Where is my brother?" Itachi asked, growing impatient.

"In a private residence of mine," Orochimaru said. "Obviously he's the bait. And here you are."

"Free him and I'll do anything you want," Itachi said.

"If I free him you'll just go running after him," Orochimaru chuckled, waving a hand in the air. "No, he'll continue to be bait. I'll let you see him every once in a while, of course. You'll know he's safe. And you'll stay with me until I'm ready for a replacement body."

Itachi shook his head slowly, out of frustration.

"Let's examine the facts," Orochimaru said. "You can't escape," he said, motioning to himself and his lethal guards. "You know this prison is designed to prevent jailbreaks and that even you can't get out. You know I have Sasuke and his survival and usefulness relies completely on you. In other words, I'm keeping you here either way. I'm simply giving you the option to cooperate and surrender in full to ensure that you can see your brother unharmed."

Itachi looked down. He only had to get to Sasuke, that was it. He only needed to find him and hold on to him and then he could fight his way out. He had no intention of staying here, but first he needed to find his brother.

"Agreed," Itachi said lowly. But his mind was already working on all possible options.

* * *

Gaara awoke slowly with a warm hand on his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked up to see a very familiar face. His first reaction was that he was dreaming, then he considered that he might be dead. Finally, he realized what was going on.

"Yashamaru?" Gaara whispered. He slowly sat up.

"Your fever is gone," Yashamaru smiled gently. "And who is this?" he asked, nodding to someone at Gaara's side.

Gaara glanced over to see Neji lying there on the sand, seemingly in a peaceful sleep. His chest barely seemed to be rising or falling under the thick material of his light colored warrior monk uniform. His eyelids fluttered slightly and Gaara knew that he was having a dream. For some reason, he sincerely hoped it was pleasant. Gaara valued good dreams. He had so few of them in his lifetime.

"It's Neji," Gaara said, looking back to Yashamaru.

Yashamaru looked perplexed and studied Neji's face. "Surely not the same…" he said, shaking his head.

"No, not the same," Gaara said. "I'm surprised you could detect it."

"His chakra is never at a full restful state," Yashamaru said. "I have a strong sense for this kind of thing, and I can tell his chakra system is advanced. The other one, the one you had with you before, was powerless." He smiled gently. "And more importantly, they really do look different."

Gaara looked back to Neji. It was true. This Neji had a peaceful air about him. He looked well nourished, so his hair was shinier and longer and his pale color still looked healthy for him. His eyes didn't have dark shadows beneath them, his brow wasn't tensed. And Gaara had realized previously that this Neji was slightly taller than the other as well. Slowly, Gaara's eyes shifted from Neji's face, down his throat, and over that thick fabric. He wondered how different the rest of him was…. Probably much smoother… much stronger… much harder……..

"As for you…" Yashamaru burst into his thoughts.

Gaara looked back at him with the best look of innocence he could muster.

"I didn't know you were so strong as well," Yashamaru smirked, tapping Gaara's weapon pouch. "I let my guard down."

"When last we met, I really was powerless," Gaara said. "My illness and the journey left me extremely drained. It's better now." He blinked. "Why are you out here?" Then he remembered everything. "You tried to save us, and Orochimaru punished you for it." Gaara bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"I lost some of my best," Yashamaru said sadly. "But I wasn't going to hand you over to him. Unfortunately, the wrong people got tortured and betrayed your location." He smiled again. "Don't worry about a thing. Those of us who survived will continue to fight on. We're staying at the ruins of the old Sand Village for now. The two of you should rest there."

"Two?" Gaara said, suddenly looking around. In his half-awake state he had assumed that Haku and Itachi were nearby. He stood up and searched. He couldn't see them anywhere.

He gently shook Neji, and the other young man awoke and became alert much more quickly than he had. Neji quickly sat up at looked around.

"Neji," Gaara said. "Can you see Haku or Itachi around?"

Yashamaru blinked as the veins around Neji's eyes stood out. Neji sat silently for a moment, then his face became smooth again.

"They aren't here," he responded calmly. He then shifted his glanced towards Yashamaru.

"Neji," Gaara said, "This is Yashamaru. He saved my life last time we met."

"Thank you," Neji said, "For taking care of him."

Yashamaru nodded with a small smile, but his eyes were tracing the leaf pattern on Neji's forehead protector. Gaara wasn't wearing his symbol anywhere, only his dark red ninja uniform. Gaara wondered if Yashamaru thought he was from Konoha.

"You shouldn't wear that around here, Neji," Yashamaru said softly. "If you hadn't been with Gaara, I would have thought the worst of you. A healthy Hyuuga from the Leaf is a sign of death."

To Gaara's surprise, Neji reached behind his head and undid his forehead protector, sliding it gently from his face and putting it carefully into his pack. He lowered his eyes as if in thought, and Gaara knew why. He had to expose the seal on his forehead.

"A branch member?" It was clear that Yashamaru felt bad for asking Neji to expose this. The seal of the branch member on Neji's forehead was a sign of slavery in this world. It was a sign of servitude in Gaara's world, which was still unjust, but in this world, it was something to be hated and pitied. "I'm… I'm sorry," Yashamaru said sincerely. "With you being so far from home, and in a battle uniform… I assumed…"

"It's alright," Neji nodded. "I understand."

Something obscured Neji's vision briefly and then rose to cover his forehead. He could feel Gaara behind him, gently tightening the straps of another forehead protector to help him hide his seal. Neji gently rose his hand to trace what was etched into it. It was the Sand Village symbol. This was Gaara's. To wear another ninja's forehead protector, especially of someone of such a high rank, was almost unheard of.

"It's only temporary," Gaara said softly behind him. "Until we can find something else to cover your seal."

"It will confuse people at the very least," Yashamaru said, a hint of sadness in his voice. He tapped his own forehead protector, which was secured around his arm now. It had the same sand symbol on it.

"I don't want to be disrespectful," Neji said, looking at Yashamaru, then turning to Gaara. Gaara was sitting closer than he realized. He turned again quickly.

"It's alright, for now," Yashamaru assured. "Now, both of you, come with me." The three stood, and Yashamaru guided them to the sand village. "Where did you get it?" he asked as they started to walk.

Gaara knew he was speaking of the forehead protector. "It's mine," he answered.

"Gaara…" Yashamaru warned.

"It's the truth," Gaara said. "It belongs to me. I'm from the sand village."

Yashamaru stopped in his tracks and turned. "I've never seen you before. I think I'd remember one so distinctive. Your red hair, those insomniac eyes, that tattoo. I never forget a face."

"Saa atoom kah aryth na sateenth nar val," Gaara said.

Yashamaru's eyes widened slightly. "Where did you learn that ancient language?"

Sand slowly started to circle the group so that it formed a thin wall around them. Gaara was moving it easily, and moments later he looked up, and it rose and made a dome over them, like an umbrella. He then turned to his side and it cascaded down to their right, never touching them.

When he turned back to Yashamaru he found him stunned. He slowly approached Gaara and looked at his face for a long moment. "Who were your parents?" he asked, much to Gaara's shock.

Gaara had no idea how to answer him. What could he say that wouldn't make him sound insane? What could he say that wouldn't make him sound like a liar? Answering this question was too hard….

"My mother died when I was very young, and my father repeatedly tried to have me murdered," he said finally. "There isn't much more to say about them. Both of them are gone now."

"…If he had grown to be your age…" Yashamaru whispered softly. "He might have looked just like you…. My sister's child…. The one we were to train to use the sand with that much skill…." Yashamaru looked away and continued walking. "Forgive me. Past memories are sometimes hard to bury."

"What happened to that child?" Gaara asked, unable to help himself. He quickly glanced behind him to make sure Neji was still there. He was following closely, listening in silence.

Yashamaru was silent for a moment, and Gaara thought that perhaps he hadn't heard the question and was lost in thought. But finally, he gave his soft reply. "I killed him."

Gaara stopped walking and Neji nearly bumped into him. Yashamaru turned to face them and looked sorrowful.

"The village was attacked years ago, as you can see from the ruins," Yashamaru said solemnly. "I watched as the Kazekage was killed and my comrades were tortured. My twin sister had three children. My oldest nephew died jumping in front of my sister to shield her from an attack. My niece was dragged away, and I never saw her again. And my youngest nephew was being eyed for slavery. That child… I couldn't bare to know that he would live his life like that. So with my own hands, I strangled him to death." He stopped speaking and looked as though he was holding back tears. "Not a day goes by when I don't think about what it would be like if the three of them were together, happy, and grown up. Sometimes I can't help but feel as though they are all alive somewhere." He turned and started walking again.

Gaara's heart was pounding. After a few moments of more shock, he started to move again. Neji only started to follow after he moved. He was like a shadow following silently.

The ruins of the sand village grew closer and closer until they came to the ruined entrance. Carefully they entered the deserted city. Gaara would never get used to seeing his home like this.

A few injured ninja peeked out from buildings here and there. Soon some of the healthier ones started to appear. After Orochimaru's attack they were extremely on guard. And all eyes were trained on Neji. Gaara had been too sick last time to notice how they might have looked at the other Neji. But he knew the stares this Neji was getting were worse. He was clearly strong and potentially dangerous. But the fact that he was walking with Yashamaru protected him from harm.

"I'll take you some place to rest," Yashamaru said. "There will be no need for a background check this time. I'll go explain the situation to the others."

He led the two into what Gaara recognized as the building that housed special guests from abroad. It was still mostly intact. He led them into a large room and then told them he'd return later, and that they should wait a while for him to explain about Neji before they left the room.

"If they know I'm a branch member maybe it will pacify them," Neji said, reaching for the forehead protector.

"No," Gaara said. "Please, keep your forehead covered." He sighed softly. "Neji, here your clan is viewed much differently. Branch members are rarely taught to fight, and if they are they are used like pawns." He hesitated, sitting on his bed slowly. "I met your other self," he said finally. "He was, of course, a branch member. He had no training as a ninja and had never left Konoha before I traveled with him to escape. He had been mentally, emotionally, and physically abused his entire life in the worst ways possible." His eyes moved to Neji's forehead. "That symbol labels you as weak, subservient, a slave, and a whore. So please, keep it covered."

Neji sat on the other bed slowly. His brow furrowed for a moment before he looked up at Gaara again. "What was he like?"

Gaara smiled gently, finding it odd to be the one doing the most talking. His almost monotone voice sounded weird to his ears, as if he had never heard so much of it. "He is rude, insensitive, pessimistic…."

"So the way I was when we first met years ago?" Neji chuckled.

"No," Gaara said, taking in the sound of Neji's brief laugh. "The Neji of this world… while not as skilled as you… is more dangerous because of his wickedness. I wanted to save him, but I was too weak to do anything. I don't know what became of him."

Neji nodded, tilting his head slightly and lowering his eyes as he thought, turning into a handsome statue for a short time. "Could I have turned out that way…?" he wondered.

"No," Gaara responded a little too quickly, a little too firmly. He looked away, calming his tone. "It's highly improbable," he said.

There was more to say, of course. But Gaara couldn't say it. There was no right way to say it. To say, "Neji, I used your double for sex and for hollow, short-lived comfort," didn't sound very flattering or professional.

"Where should we start?" Neji asked. "I'm worried about Hinata and the others."

"They would most likely be in Konoha," Gaara said. "It's problematic that we lost Haku and Itachi, but you of all people should know how to break into Konoha. But this is Orochimaru we're talking about, and we can't be sure Hinata or Sasuke will be there when we get there. He's smarter than that."

"In order to complete the mission, we only have to find them and return home," Neji said. "Is that all you want to do?" His white eyes met Gaara's with a searching expression.

Gaara didn't know how to respond. "Of course there is more I want to do. And if I weren't the Kazekage I'd postpone returning and make an attempt on Orochimaru's life. But I need to return to my people."

Neji nodded, understanding.

Just then there was a knock on the door and it opened slowly.

"May I come in?" a young woman said.

"Please do," Neji responded, turning to the door.

A beautiful woman came in, with light sandy-colored hair and beautiful pale eyes. Yashamaru was behind her. They were twins. Perfect male and female versions of each other, only with Yashamaru being a good deal taller.

"We brought something for you to eat," she said, stepping inside.

"Thank you," Neji said, standing and taking the tray from her and placing it on the table. Yashamaru walked over and set one the table as well. Neji happened to catch his eyes, and Yashamaru tilted his head toward Gaara discreetly.

Neji turned slowly, and could see that Gaara was now on his feet, with the most shocked expression on his face. He was staring at the young woman. After about two seconds Neji cursed his oversight. Yashamaru's story… the twin sister… Gaara's mother. He hadn't yet adjusted to the fact that people who were dead in his own world could be very alive in this one.

"Gaara," Neji said gently.

Gaara's eyes darted to Neji, then slowly he came back to reality. He tried to relax himself.

"Forgive me," he said to the woman. "You remind me of someone…."

Perhaps more surprising was the woman's reaction. She walked forward raising a hand to her mouth. She stopped right in front of Gaara and looked into his eyes. She was a little shorter than he was, with the same, beautiful eyes. She looked at his sandy red hair and let her eyes trace his face. She slowly rose a gentle hand and her fingertips brushed curiously over the darkened skin under his eyes, then the tattoo on the left side of his forehead.

Realizing that she hadn't asked permission to be so close, she slowly took a step back. There were tears in her eyes. Gaara didn't know what to do or what to say. Here she was, his mother and yet not his mother. She had not given birth to him, yet she was the perfect double of the woman who had. He had just told Neji that he could never be like his double, yet something deep inside of him wanted him to believe that she was like his mother.

"Gaara," she said softly. "Is that your name? I'm… sorry. You also… remind me of someone. Had I not seen my child's body cremated…."

She headed for the door, but suddenly Neji blocked her way. He looked to Gaara, waiting, but neither of them really knew for what.

"Let me pass," she said softly.

"We're leaving soon," Neji said, to her and to Gaara. "You might never see each other again."

"Neither of us really know each other," she said sharply.

"You do know each other," Neji said. "You knew from the moment you came in here. You both knew the moment you saw each other."

"Say what you need to say to be able to forgive yourself for whatever you're holding inside, Gaara," Yashamaru said gently. "You may not remember, but when you were near death with your fever, you had a lot of things to confess. For now, let this woman be your mother."

"You're being foolish," the woman whispered. But she turned around and took another long look at Gaara. The door made a soft sound behind them, and they realized that Neji had left the room and allowed them some privacy.

"For now," Yashamaru said, "You'll be her son, and I'll be your uncle. What do you have to say to us?"

Gaara stared at the floor, hardly able to breath. The last memory he had of Yashamaru was when Yashamaru had betrayed him and told him he hated him. Gaara had killed him in a fit of anger without knowing who his attacker was. The only person at that time who cared for him at all… or pretended to. And before he died he told Gaara that his mother had probably hated him too.

"Gaara," Yashamaru pressed.

"I'm sorry…" Gaara whispered.

The woman, stood watching him, looking occasionally to Yashamaru. Gaara dared not ask her name. He was afraid it might be the same as his own mother's. He suddenly felt trapped. These two people… in his own world… his own past… had hated him. And deep down, he couldn't blame them.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "For being the cause of both of your suffering, and both of your deaths. I'm sorry for my actions that would have shamed you had you lived." He tried to keep his voice steady. "Whatever I did, to make you hate me so much… to make you want to kill me… I'm sorry."

"Yashamaru, this is ridiculous," the woman said. "You're hurting him."

"I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother to Temari and Kankurou," Gaara whispered.

And at that the woman stopped in her tracks. She rose a quivering hand to her mouth and stared at him once more. "You're both mad," she said, backing towards the door. "Both of you… how could you put me through this…."

Yashamaru caught her by the hand and looked at Gaara, wide-eyed. "I never told you their names," he said.

Gaara looked into Yashamaru's eyes, and to the eyes of the trembling woman. He slowly reached into a concealed pocket at his side and drew out a picture. He stepped closer and held it up to the twins. Slowly, the woman took it from his hands.

"What is this?" she wept. "Where did you get something like this?"

Yashamaru stared at the picture. It was one of Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou, taken very recently. Gaara was in his blue kazekage robes, and his siblings stood proudly by his side.

"I'll tell you," Gaara began, "A story you probably won't believe. I'll tell you were I came from."

* * *

Sasuke's eyes slowly opened, but there wasn't much to see but darkness. But there were sounds all around him… horrible, terrifying sounds.

There were screams of torment unlike any he'd ever heard from every corner and coming through every wall. He rolled into his stomach on the cold, stone floor and pushed himself into a sitting position, on his guard. This was a prison, with barely any light. It was vast, and many stories high. But each cell was separated by only thick bars so that the prisoners could see each other.

Of course… this wasn't a prison, it was torture chamber. Part of the torture was seeing what others had to endure.

Several cages down there were lantern lights. Sasuke let his eyes adjust and realized that the screams were coming from that very cell. He could see that there were several people, but he couldn't make out what was going on. His head was swimming with pain and he couldn't concentrate.

Between the horrid screams of pain he heard squeaks and whimpers from his other side. He turned to see the nude figure of a girl in the cell next to his, huddled into a ball with only her long hair to cover her. Sasuke crawled closer as quietly as he could and put his hand through the bars to gently tap her back. She flinched and started to cry.

"Hinata?" Sasuke whispered. "Ssshhh, Hinata, it's me. It's Sasuke."

She sat up slowly, keeping her back to him, and nodded slightly, still weeping.

"Put this on," he whispered, slipping off his bright yellow shirt. "It should be longer on you," he said gently as he pushed it through the bars. Hinata took it and slowly slipped it over her head. She then turned to face him, tears staining her face.

"We'll get out," Sasuke assured her. "We'll be saved."

"It's so horrible here," she whispered, as another round of screams and squeals of pain started up from the cell further from them. "I don't even know… which Kiba that is…" she whimpered.

Sasuke blinked and turned towards the screaming again. "What's happening?" he asked. "You say that's Kiba?"

"They're doing… horrible things to him…" she said.

Sasuke looked again. The lanterns had been moved and shifted. Kiba was easier to see now. Forced into different positions and being violated again and again by a group of large men. Over and over like cars on a train. Sasuke didn't want to admit it to her, but he had no way of telling which world that Kiba was from either. If the two of them had been captured it stood to reason that they might not be the only ones.

"Neji…" she sobbed. "He's so different here…."

It took Sasuke a moment to process her words. "Neji?! You've seen him? Is he here?"

"Orochimaru is his master here," she said in an exhausted voice, leaning her head against the bars. "Only his name is the same…."

"…Orochimaru?" Sasuke blinked.

"Neji obeys him here," she whispered. "My cousin… my true cousin… would never… never…"

She wavered, and then passed out against the bars, leaving Sasuke to wonder about how he had been betrayed.

* * *

He stared into the mirror, looking at the reflection that seemed even darker than it ever had before. He picked up the scissors and sat staring at them for a long moment before looking at his reflection once more, grabbing a handful of his long hair and raising the scissors to it.

But a strong hand wrapped around his wrist.

"It will be uneven that way, Neji," Orochimaru smiled. He had appeared very suddenly. So suddenly that his reflection simply seemed to materialize behind Neji.

Orochimaru slid his fingertips through Neji's long hair and slid them over his back. He then gently took the scissors away and started to smooth the young man's hair straight.

"How short would you like it?" Orochimaru asked with a smile.

"It doesn't matter, as long as most of it's gone," Neji said softly. "My hair… my past… my name. I want them gone."

"What name will you take?" Orochimaru asked as he guided the scissors to Neji's hair and started to cut.

"I haven't decided," Neji said, closing his eyes as he felt his hair falling away. "I was thinking of the name Rei, because I feel so empty right now."

"What is wrong, my sorrowful one?" the older man asked gently.

"I don't know who I am anymore," Neji said. "I feel so tainted, yet so empty. I hate what my family did to me, and I feel like I can't take enough revenge."

"So what if you are tainted?" Orochimaru smirked at Neji through the reflection. "Everyone is in some way. Don't let anyone make you think you are any less worthy than they are. Innocence is foolish." He finished cutting and put the scissors onto the vanity. Neji looked up and blinked at his reflection. His hair was shoulder length now, and it was surprisingly very handsome. "And if you feel empty," Orochimaru said, leaning down to whisper into Neji's ear, "I can fill you, in more ways than one. And that girl, Hinata, will be your slave for as long as you wish it."

Neji was silent for a moment. "Do you do things like this for everyone here?" he asked, lowering his eyes.

Orochimaru chuckled briefly and wrapped his arms around Neji's shoulders from behind him. "I only go this far for my favorites. I love you all in different ways, and I take care of all of the boys here. But while this harem is mine, most of the boys service others for me. Officials, diplomats, ambassadors. But for the time being, only two of you ever share my bed."

Neji looked up at him through the reflection in surprise. "Me and…"

"Kimimaro," Orochimaru grinned. "My two precious ones." He leaned down and gently bit Neji's ear. "Rei, was it?" he asked.

Neji was thoughtful for a moment. "Yes," he responded. "I will take the name Rei."

"Well, Rei," Orochimaru breathed into his ear. "Kimimaro often worries about you. So I asked him here tonight to check up on you." He licked the edge of "Rei's" ear and sent a shiver through him. "Is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest before he arrives?"

"Actually… there is," Rei said, breathing more heavily due to the older man's teasing. "In the other world, is Gaara really Kazekage?"

"He is," Orochimaru said, thinking back to the immense sandstorm that Gaara had conjured in a matter of seconds. "That much was true."

"That frail, pathetic idiot… is Kazekage," Rei said, more to himself, as he fingered the strands of his newly-cut hair. "That world… it must be hell on earth…."

Just then Kimimaro walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He took one look at Neji's new look and nodded approvingly.

"Ah, Kimimaro," Orochimaru smiled. "Neji has changed his name to Rei. I hope you can get used to it."

"I understand," Kimimaro said, calm and collected as always.

Orochimaru took Rei's hand and guided him to stand up. He obeyed, as always, and allowed himself to be guided to stand by the bed. From there, to his surprise, Kimimaro was the one to turn him where he stood and kiss him deeply. Rei's response was immediate. He kissed back and pulled Kimimaro closer. He had tried to ignore this longing, but he couldn't. Kimimaro was more than attractive, extremely well built, and had an air of strength and confidence that made his every move almost sexual. But all of the boys here considered him untouchable, Rei included.

Orochimaru slipped into the shadows as his two favorites slid their tongues into each others mouths with a longing that they had clearly been denying each other. The two slid each others robes off, forming a pool of crimson and white silk on the floor. Both nude, pale-skinned figures pressed against each other, Kimimaro's white hair brushing against Rei's skin and making him shiver. Slowly they descended to the bed rocking against each other more roughly with each kiss. Soon Rei was on his stomach, and he knew what was coming.

He lie there as Kimimaro ran his hands over his body. It felt so good. Rei thought back to the times when he vowed never to let anyone inside of him again. His uncle, his family. He never wanted to feel anyone's claim of him leaking out of him and down his thighs ever again. But now he didn't care. Kimimaro and Orochimaru could fill him as much as they wanted and he'd beg for it until they couldn't empty themselves anymore. He was no longer the slave, Neji. He was now free. He was Rei.

_Gaara…._

The name echoed in his mind. At times like this he couldn't escape thinking of him. He could push him away and try to forget him except for moments when he was taken. He knew that he wanted to drive himself inside of Gaara again, to roughly use him. It was a different kind of desire. It was the need to dominate someone weaker than himself. And at the time Gaara had been. But now…. Now Gaara was Kazekage again. Yet... it wasn't just the desire to dominate. There was more to it with Gaara. Something that Rei hadn't quite figure out yet. There was something else about Gaara that drew him in.

And at least Gaara hadn't lied about his world. Somehow, that put Rei at ease.

Kimimaro entered him as slowly as he could, which was prolonged torture to someone so desperate for release as Rei was. Rei shut his eyes and groaned softly, pushing back against his lover.

_Just like this, Gaara. I want to take you just like this. Let me make your nerves scream and plead, just so I know I'm more powerful than I think I am._

Orochimaru watched, forgotten in the shadows by Rei. Kimimaro sometimes glanced up at him, a slight smirk crossing the corner of his mouth before he returned his attention to the younger man beneath him. Orochimaru chuckled silently and looked down at Rei again. He knew that look. The young man often disappeared into his thoughts, thinking of something or someone in the past. It was then that he'd feel the most pleasure and take the most pain. And now Kimimaro was pulling him hips back until he nearly slid out, but then forcefully drove in again, making Rei pant at the sudden pain. But he loved every second of it. He had been conditioned for this.

It was a long, pleasurable show for Orochimaru, but inevitably, Kimimaro was spent, shuddering violently and rocking himself against Rei until he was completely satisfied. After he pulled out, Kimimaro turned Rei onto his back and set his mouth to work on Rei's most intimate parts to the point where he nearly burst. The then stopped before Rei could feel release and backed away from the bed. This time Orochimaru turned him onto his stomach, causing the bed beneath him to create torturous pressure between his thighs. And then, it began again. It continued and continued, with both men emptying into him until they had no more to give.

* * *

Yashamaru stepped out of the room to give Gaara and his mother more time to talk after Gaara told his story. It was quite the unbelievable story, but Gaara knew things about the wind country and the Sand Village's history that couldn't easily be ignored. Somehow, although it wasn't in his nature, Yashamaru believed him fully.

He shut the door behind him and saw Neji standing in the hallway, looking at a picture that had fallen out of Yashamaru's pack, which he had left at the door when he had first entered.

"Forgive me," Neji said, handing it to him. "It was on the floor… and I--"

"You know this person?" Yashamaru smiled gently. "If you two are who Gaara says you are, then he is probably not the same person."

Neji looked mildly surprised that Gaara had revealed their origins, but then calmly looked down at the picture in Yashamaru's hands again. "In my world, he's my sensei. He smiles all the time, unlike the one in that picture."

Yashamaru laughed. "Gai rarely smiled in this world." His face grew serious. "Orochimaru killed him. He was my most trusted comrade, and he's gone now." He sighed deeply, looking at the photo. "What is he like, in your world?"

"Stubborn, hot-blooded, utterly flamboyant, and foolishly carefree," Neji said, though he was smiling. "He's one of the strongest people I know."

Yashamaru smiled brightly, then laughed. "Gai, flamboyant?" he laughed again. He was still chuckling when his twin walked out of the room.

"I need time alone," she whispered. She then turned to Neji and looked at him carefully for a long moment. "Take care of him, Neji," she said softly, before hurrying down the hall.

They watched her until she was out of sight.

"Thank you for stopping her earlier," Yashamaru said.

"They would have regretted it later," Neji said as he leaned against the wall. "I know enough of regret to know what it does to a person."

"Oh?" Yashamaru grinned. "Someone as pure as you?"

"Pure?" Neji blinked. He chuckled to himself. "That word doesn't describe me very well."

"It describes you both," Yashamaru said, looking toward the direction of the room Gaara was sitting in. "Maybe if you see more of this world, you'll understand." He smiled and patted Neji's shoulder. "No matter what, we'll meet again. For now, go talk to Gaara."

Neji nodded and watched him go. He then opened the door to the room. When he entered, Gaara was staring out the window.

"Was it painful?" Neji asked, approaching slowly. "I apologize for interfering."

Gaara didn't turn around.

"Should I leave you alone?" Neji asked.

Gaara shook his head, and Neji sat down on the bed with a soft creak.

"Why is it that they are without me in this world and I am without them in my world?" Gaara asked softly. "This injustice is cruel. I keep running into situations where I want it both ways."

"It's as though this world was designed to make you choose," Neji said.

In so few words, Neji was right. If Gaara hadn't had such huge responsibilities at home, he had to wonder if he would ever have chosen to be a normal person here, despite the wars and the pain. Under other circumstances would he choose his siblings or his mother and uncle? The good friends in his world that he seldom saw, or his new friends who were always with him, even if they didn't know him as well? Well, deep down he knew the answer. Despite the slight pull to have certain things in this world, nothing could overwhelm his desires for his own world.

But there was already one situation in which he had chosen poorly….

He glanced to Neji. He knew now that he'd take the respect and distance of this one over the temporary "comfort" of the other. His choice between the two had been wrong in every way when he let the other too close.

"Are you worried about Hinata?" Gaara asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yes," Neji said. "But we don't have any clue as to where she is, and we can't be hasty or we'll make a mistake that could cost us too much." He took a deep breath. "I have to believe she'll be okay."

Gaara tilted his head. "You know, the last time I saw you two together, you were trying to kill each other."

Neji blinked, then smiled gently. "The Chuunin exams. They seem so long ago now." He chuckled. "Needless to say, we get along better."

"So you've forgiven her?" Gaara nodded.

"Forgiven… her?" Neji blinked curiously. "Usually people ask her if she has forgiven me."

"They weren't paying attention," Gaara said. "You kept trying to get her to back down so you didn't have to hurt her. But she persisted, all the while aiming for your internal organs while you avoided hers until you had no chance but to take her out in order to advance."

Gaara realized he wasn't sure how fond he was of Hinata in either world. His eyes went to Neji's chest. How many times had she aimed for his heart? The stupid girl should have just quit….

"No one has really acknowledged any of that before," Neji said, looking awed. Then he smiled, and it was a handsome smile at that.

"Do you need more rest, or shall we head toward Konoha?" Gaara asked.

"Let's go," Neji nodded. "We'll save them."

But suddenly they both stopped. Something new was in the air. Something wrong. Something only a ninja could sense. Neji activated his Byakugan, and a second later he dived on top of Gaara, bringing him down to the floor. There was a crash, and something whizzing through the air. When Gaara opened his eyes he could see that the window was broken, and a very large arrow with what looked like a thick white string behind it that was sticking out of the wall behind him. He would have died from a direct hit to the face had Neji not taken him down. The arrow must have been shot from a good distance and at a very fast speed for him not to be able to move in time.

Neji lifted his weight off of Gaara just slightly and hovered over him protectively, his eyes appearing to look around the room, though he was really looking through the walls and around the village… perhaps beyond it.

"Who was it?" Gaara said, trying to get his mind off of Neji's knee, which had landed between his thighs during the fall. He wouldn't mind staying like this longer, but someone shooting arrows at his face made it inconvenient.

"Kidoumaru," Neji said softly. "One of the Sound."

"The one you killed in our world?"

"Yes," Neji said. "And the one who almost killed me." He looked around again, his eyes shifting slightly from one side to the other. "A standard team," he said.

"They probably want to finish off Yashamaru's resistance and anyone associated with him," Gaara said.

Neji gently got off of him but stayed low to the floor. "I'll deal with Kidoumaru," he said calmly. "He is no match for me now."

"You could probably take them all out with your eyes closed," Gaara said. "But Neji, I ask that you let me take care of this. I need you to make sure Yashamaru and the others are safe."

"As you wish," Neji said without argument. He quickly jumped up and slipped out through the door.

Gaara was willing to be a little reckless now. And one thing was for sure… regardless of which world it was, these enemies were treading on his territory. With a swift, graceful motion, Gaara leapt out through the hole where the window once was. He landed on the sand below as delicately as though it hadn't been many stories below him. He stood up slowly, and in the distance, between the ruined buildings, he saw the three of them. Kidoumaru, with six arms, making him like a human spider. He had with him too clearly overconfident and under-ranked pawns that Gaara had never seen before.

"A welcoming committee?" Kidoumaru called out with a smirk. "Are you suicidal? If not, take us to Yashamaru quietly. Orochimaru wants his head."

"You will go no further," Gaara called back.

Kidourmaru smirked and glanced to one of the men at his side. In the next moment that man moved so fast he could have disappeared. Without any sign that he detected anything, Gaara stood there quietly. Seconds later the sand started to rise up from the ground around him, shielding him from all attacks. Gaara didn't have his sand gourd with him, so he had to detect all of the attacks himself, but this opponent was too slow for his senses. In a way he missed his gourd and the sand that would automatically protect him. But bringing something with a mind of its own into this world didn't seem like a safe idea.

By now the man on Kidoumaru's other side was attacking as well, but to the frustration of both men, Gaara was now walking forward as if he didn't notice them, while the sand kept him safe.

"Sand can't defend you forever," Kidoumaru laughed.

"You're right," Gaara said. He rose his arms to his sides and suddenly the sand wrapped around both of his attackers. It started to cover them completely, and the pressure started to increase. Willing to waste no time with these two, he shut his hands into fists, and just as he did, the sand cocoons around the two men constricted tightly and instantly. Gaara heard the familiar crunching of bones and the disgusting pops and the explosion of fluids that told him they were dead. He let the sand drop to the ground, and used his power to let the disgusting, crushed bodies sink deep into the sand where no one could find them.

"You're in my territory," Gaara said, glaring. The two were still a good distance apart. "There are no trees here for you to play spider," he said. "There is no where for you to hide where I will not find you in this village. And at this distance your arrows are useless."

Suddenly sand burst from the ground and wrapped itself around Kidoumaru's body, leaving only his head uncovered. Gaara closed his fist to constrict the sand, but he immediately felt resistance. He looked up to see that Kidoumaru had released his curse seal, and that a metal substance was now covering his body, making him harder to crush.

"What will you do now?" Kidoumaru laughed. "Your chakra can't hold this sand up forever. And when it drops, I'm going to kill you. You should run now. I only came for Yashamaru. It will be a nice, slow, painful death for whoever gets in my way."

Slow and painful…. Gaara had been in Konoha when the medical team brought Neji home on a stretcher, with two massive holes in his body. Neji was years younger then… ranks lower… inexperienced on the field. Even to Gaara, who knew little of fairness then, still remembered that sight. Neji had killed Kidoumaru, and was dying slowly from the wounds inflicted in that battle. But the sheer heaviness of that situation was only hitting Gaara now. What if Neji hadn't survived?

Gaara glared up at Kidoumaru. In this world, he lived. And he was on Orochimaru's side and could find a way to Gaara's world. To his home. His people. People he cared about.

People he cared about….

Sand in front of Kidoumaru rose up like a snake, very slowly. Then, it rushed forward, and still stuck in the cocoon of sand, he couldn't dodge as it scraped straight past his lips, broke through his teeth, and started to force itself down his throat. His eyes opened widely in terror as his air was cut off. He could feel the rough sand scraping his insides.

"Slow and painful," Gaara said lowly. He was now standing only a few feet away. "I've killed many people in my life, but very seldom slowly…."

Kidoumaru's eyes rolled to the back of his head and blood started to pour out of every visible orifice. Gaara watched with cold eyes, with a sort of calm fascination that he'd seldom felt when killing in the past. He suddenly realized that he was making this death personal, and he stopped the torture at once. Kidoumaru dropped into a heap on the ground when the sand cocoon was released.

The past came to him. Neji's face flashed in his mind. His body. Covered with blood. His insides threatening to pour out of him. And as Gaara used the sand to pull Kidoumaru's body deep into the earth he couldn't get the images out of his head. He had just killed this man, not quickly in order to remove a threat to his village. But slowly… in a way of vengefulness.

A hand firmly grasped his shoulder from behind and he whipped around. In less than a second the sand and risen and wrapped itself around his attacker's throat. But it didn't squeeze. It ceased to move. Gaara's eyes widened when he realized what he had almost done.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked, looking Gaara in the eyes and seeming unconcerned that his neck had almost been crushed.

Gaara nodded slightly, and the sand slowly and gently slid away from Neji's skin. It was as gentle as water, leaving not so much as a scrape. But Gaara was not feeling so gentle, and he clenched his fists as his temper started to rise.

"You aren't where I told you to be," he said, poorly masking his change in mood. "I could have killed you just now."

"Forgive me, Lord Gaara" Neji said, bowing gracefully, his eyes lowered. "Yashamaru threatened to come out with a small army if I didn't assist you. I'll use better judgment in finding a solution in the future."

Gaara's anger melted under Neji's sincerity.

"I'm sorry," Gaara murmured. "There was nothing wrong with your judgment. For me to be responsible for your death would be forever unacceptable to me. I lost myself."

"I trust you," Neji said serenely as he lifted his head.

Those words were beautiful… and painful…. And it was then that Gaara realized that the tiniest amount of sand, controlled by his subconscious, was still just barely caressing Neji's throat. He let it slip away, hoping that Neji would think it was simply the usual strands of his long hair.

---To Be Continued--


	12. Compared

**Mirror of Beyond: chapter XII: Compared  
**

Orochimaru sat at the table, slowly sipping a glass of wine. He looked across from him and stared at Itachi, who sat looking tense. Orochimaru's eyes searched his face for a moment before he grinned.

"Obito cared for you two very much, it would seem," Orochimaru said finally. "I can still feel that from him. He considered you and Sasuke brothers to him."

"Release him," Itachi said. "Obito was innocent. He didn't deserve this."

"It isn't so easy," Orochimaru smiled and sighed. "Nothing is ever so easy."

The door opened and Kimimaro stepped into the room. A very tired looking figure trailed behind him.

"Sasuke!" Itachi said, standing. "Are you unharmed?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he made a move to run to Itachi, but Kimimaro threw his arm out and held him back.

"You, sit," Kimimaro said firmly to Itachi. He then pushed Sasuke toward a chair at the long table, so that he was sitting between Orochimaru and Itachi. When all were seated again Kimimaro stood against the wall like a guardian.

"Well you see," Orochimaru smiled. "There he is. Unharmed as I said he would be. He's been moved from the cell into a comfortable room and no one shall lay a finger on him." He then motioned to the table. "You two should eat something. Especially you, Sasuke. I said you were unharmed. Let's not make me into a liar."

Sasuke looked to Itachi, wanting to go to him. They were so close.

"Eat, Sasuke," Itachi encouraged. "You must take care of yourself as best you can."

Sasuke hesitated, so Itachi started to eat the fish in front of him, and soon Sasuke did the same. Orochimaru smirked slightly as he watched them.

"So it was true," Orochimaru chuckled to himself. "The two Uchiha brothers have a stronger connection that most would think acceptable."

Sasuke stopped eating and stared down at his food. Itachi was still looking at him, however. His concern apparent.

"You see, Itachi," Orochimaru continued. "On previous… unions… with your dear little brother, sometimes your name would slip," he smirked. "And what a surprise that was."

"What of it?" Itachi said calmly to Sasuke's surprise.

Orochimaru smirked. "I was just thinking that I wanted to see just how you two bond."

Sasuke was blushing now, mindlessly shoveling food into his mouth. He only distantly registered the door opening behind him.

"You called for me, Lord--"

Itachi looked up as the familiar voice fell short. Sasuke turned slowly as well. Both of them received more than a little shock.

"Neji?" Sasuke whispered. "So it is true, what Hinata said…?!"

Neji stared back at the Uchiha brothers with a blank expression. He was clearly unharmed and looking better than he ever had. His color was looking better, he looked better fed, and he was dressed in fine robes. He resembled the Neji from Gaara's world a little better now, though in comparison he still only had the slightest fraction of the other's grace and strength.

"Neji," Itachi said. "You're alive. We had no idea what happened to you." He glared at Orochimaru. "Have you captured Haku and Gaara as well?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Neji hasn't been captured. He's here of his own free will. Oh… and it's no longer 'Neji.' His new name is Rei."

Itachi looked back to Neji, disbelieving. "Neji…."

"Don't call me that," Rei said lowly. "I no longer identify with that name, or that family."

"What did he do to you?" Itachi demanded.

"He's the only one who has shown me any loyalty," Rei hissed.

"Neji, we didn't leave you!" Sasuke insisted. "There were simply too many of us, and we couldn't all be pulled through--"

"To the other world?" Rei smirked. "A world where my enemies live unharmed and Gaara is responsible for an entire village? That world?" He laughed bitterly. "Is there no justice in any form in any world in this entire damned universe?!"

"He's brainwashed you," Itachi said to Rei, shifting his glare to Orochimaru again.

"What have you been doing to Hinata?!" Sasuke asked angrily. "She not the same as the one you knew!"

"She'll do," Rei said coldly. "As for what I'm doing to her, she'll never look at my double the same way again." He still remembered the surprise and horror on her face. "He never stood up to her, that's why she's so shocked. I'll break her for him."

"He wouldn't want this!" Sasuke said.

"Then he's weak!" Rei responded loudly.

"If you were half the man he is--"

"Enough, young ones," Orochimaru said. "Kimimaro, please restrain Sasuke in his seat. See that he doesn't move."

Kimimaro obeyed and Itachi stood up intending a fight. But like lightning Orochimaru was in front of him, blocking his path.

"It's time for you to prove your obedience," Orochimaru said with a dark smirk.

Itachi looked wary as he read the lustful, menacing look on Orochimaru's face. He knew exactly how he had to prove himself.

"Don't make Sasuke watch," Itachi said.

"I only want to be fair," Orochimaru said. "He needs to know the sacrifice his brother is making for him. I don't enjoy lying about what's going on."

"No!" Sasuke yelled. Orochimaru didn't have to turn to know he was struggling behind him. But Kimimaro was far too strong.

"Face the wall," Orochimaru said to Itachi.

Itachi took a long look at Sasuke before walking over and facing the wall.

"Now," Orochimaru suddenly turned to Rei. "Would you like to do it, my pet, or shall I?"

Now Rei actually looked surprised. He watched as Itachi leaned his forehead against the wall, hating how the situation was no win for him.

"Don't even think about it Neji!" Sasuke yelled. "He saved your life! He helped free you!"

"Sasuke has a point," Orochimaru smiled kindly to Rei. "I don't require you do this."

Rei swallowed and took a step forward. Then another. Then another.

"Neji!" Sasuke yelled. "I'm begging you not to do this!"

"Sasuke," Itachi said softly, still facing the wall. "I'll be okay. Be silent now. Close your eyes. Hearing the pain in your voice makes this harder for me…."

Orochimaru took a few steps back, and Itachi could feel Rei's presence close behind him. He could hear Sasuke's rough, angry breaths of frustration. He could feel his pants firmly tugged down to his thighs. He could hear rustling behind him, and the sound of Orochimaru preparing Rei for what was soon to happen. Rei's breathing was growing fast and desperate with whatever Orochimaru was doing to him. Itachi didn't want to know or think about what it could be.

And then Rei's body pressed against him from behind. His robes were open so that Itachi could feel the arousal against him. From the sound of the footsteps growing only slightly distant he knew that Orochimaru was now sitting at the end of the table farthest from them, probably to watch Sasuke's reactions.

Sasuke flinched in his chair when a rough movement from Rei caused Itachi's body to go rigid. A slow breath escaped Itachi's lips as he tried to master the pain of the initial entry. But he had never been trained for something like this, and this couldn't be mastered so easily. For a moment he wondered if Sasuke had really enjoyed it when they were together. Rei thrust and retreated again and again, and Itachi stood pressed against the wall, silent except for his heavy breathing and gasps of pain.

Orochimaru sat forward in his chair, his arms folded neatly on the table. He glanced over to see that Sasuke's eyes were closed, tears trying to escape. Kimimaro was standing behind Sasuke's chair, watching Rei's actions with poorly masked fascination.

Although the pain made the seconds tick by slowly, Rei satisfied himself with Itachi's body relatively quickly, and with a pace that Itachi could almost bare. Rei pulled out, and both young men fixed their clothes. But Itachi needed to catch his breath and savor the sudden relief, and he remained against the wall, his forehead resting against it.

"So," Orochimaru smirked at Itachi. "You've proven that you're serious, at least. What do you think, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly. His face was in his hands and he was trembling with rage.

"Oh come now, Sasuke" Orochimaru chuckled. "Your brother is perfectly fine."

Itachi didn't turn to see what expression Sasuke was making. He only continued to stand there, resting and getting his bearings again. It was a moment before he realized that "Rei" was still behind him.

"If Orochimaru had been the one to do it," Rei whispered very softly, "You'd be screaming for days."

Itachi gave a small nod in response that no one else saw, and Rei slowly backed away before walking over to Orochimaru. Itachi knew that he could never get Sasuke to understand, but this had been Neji's… Rei's… way of thanking him. It had been his way of sparing him from what Orochimaru would do. And while Itachi was still angry at Rei for doing it, he knew his anger would cool faster than he might want it to. Hopefully this would be the only time Sasuke had to watch, and thankfully he didn't have to watch Itachi being forced into a drawn out, agonizing, unbearable violation. For that, at least, he was thankful that Rei had done it.

But Rei mattered little to him now. He turned and glanced at Sasuke, and realized that he had never seen so much rage.

* * *

"How much am I slowing you down, Neji?" Gaara asked as he sat resting against a tree.

"You aren't, Lord Gaara" Neji said wandering and looking at the birds as they flew overhead.

Gaara narrowed his eyes stared up at him, a small, rare smile curving to one side of his mouth.

Neji chuckled softly and shook his head. "Just a little."

Gaara smiled softly and nodded. "I assumed so. You do run around with that hot-blooded team."

"The fastest in Konoha," Neji smiled. "Because Gai can't stand to lose, even when he isn't racing anyone but himself." He sat down on a log not far from Gaara.

Gaara's eyes lit into a smile, though his mouth so seldom followed. He watched as Neji sat down gracefully and then froze into a statue as he so often did. Neji seemed to be able to meditate anywhere. He grew so still and yet looked to warm all at once.

A much colder mirror image flickered into his thoughts, and suddenly Gaara felt guilty once more. He tried to block it out. It seemed so indecent now. He felt as though he had betrayed Neji's trust and privacy, even though they had never really shared anything. But the fact that there were two Nejis in this world was making Gaara incredibly uneasy.

Gaara turned his blue eyes to the horizon to keep from staring. It was a difficult task, but he would persevere. Strands of Neji's hair caught in the breeze as they so often did and brushed against Gaara's hand. Gaara never got tired of it. He ached to touch those strands. He was starting to ache to touch a lot on Neji lately.

No! Enough! They were on a mission. How ridiculous to think of anything else. People were in danger and he was thinking about indecent things. Like hair… and touching… and skin…. And… NO! Enough! This was nonsense…. Utter nonsense. A Kazekage should be stronger than this. And really, Neji should be more professional. Being so seductive on a mission wasn't appropriate. Just look at him…!

(Gaara slowly glanced at Neji to see him sitting there, still as a statue, in a relaxed position, completely and totally innocent of any wrongdoing.)

Perhaps… he was as professional as possible. But wearing his hair like that… and his movements… those graceful movements… and that powerful body…. Stop that right now….

"Is there anything I can do for you, Lord Gaara?" Neji asked serenely.

Gaara didn't look at him. Neji was far too good at reading people. And right now Gaara wasn't very interested in suppressing anything. "No thank you, Neji."

"If there is anything I can get you, please ask," Neji replied.

"Thank you," Gaara said softly.

Neji started to daydream rather than meditate. Gaara could tell this from the corner of his eye as Neji reached up and started to absently finger the symbol on the forehead protector Gaara let him borrow. His finger slowly traced the curves and indents, very gently sliding his skin over them, making his flesh familiar to the new sensations, caressing it tenderly as if he were making it his own….

Gaara shut his eyes and let his face fall into his hands. His face was still stoic but he knew he was flushed with color.

"Are you alright, Lord Gaara?" Neji asked.

"It is nothing," Gaara said, keeping his voice steady. "Don't concern yourself and rest, Neji."

"I understand," Neji said.

This was even worse than when Neji took a sip from his canteen, pressing his lips to the tip and slowly taking down the liquid, swallow after swallow, except for that single drop that escaped the corner of his mouth…. That was very… VERY… pleasant.

Gaara was surprised at himself. He had never known his thoughts to be so indecent. They had been impure in other ways, but this was getting bothersome. People believed that he should be immune to all natural emotions and desires because of his calm, stoic nature… but something this raw and natural couldn't be kept locked away forever. Lust could be masked… but not fully suppressed….

Had Gaara still been possessed by Shukaku, Neji wouldn't have a chance. Gaara would have surrendered all rational thought and ravaged Neji completely. He would have wanted to control and dominate him to the point where Neji broke. Gaara almost shuddered at that. He would have gone too far under Shukaku's influence. And it would have been more Shukaku's lust than his own.

Gaara tried to clear his head. Neji was so quiet and obedient to him, and Gaara was being disrespectful to him in thought. This wasn't fair to him. So obedient…. But just how obedient…? Would he really do anything Gaara asked? Anything at all…?

"Does it always do this?" Neji asked curiously.

Gaara lifted his face from his hands and, to his well masked horror, saw sand slowly snaking it's way around Neji's limbs, from his feet up to this throat. From the looks of things, some of it was starting to slide into his clothes….

With a small movement of Gaara's hand the sand slowly fell away and moved docilely from Neji's body.

"It doesn't… always do that around me…" Gaara said softly. "I apologize."

"It wasn't unpleasant," Neji said calmly. "I'm fine, Lord Gaara."

"While we are here, please only address me as Gaara. We never know who may hear us."

Actually, the truth was that Gaara didn't want Neji to sound so formal and distant around him….

"As you wish," Neji agreed. But Gaara knew he would have to keep reminding him.

Silence passed between them again, which only allowed Gaara's mind to drift. He remembered when the arrow had come through the wall and when Neji had saved him. The feeling of Neji's knee gently pressed against his groin. Neji looking down at him and hovering over him. His long hair on Gaara's face. What he would give to feel that again….

Gaara suddenly felt annoyed with himself. He was never one to dodge issues. He should demand that Neji listen to his feelings. But then again… this was a mission… and he was Kazekage.

…But he really only wanted to be Gaara right now.

* * *

Rei turned on the shower and stepped under the hot water. Only hot water could potentially wash a taint this deep. He quickly and casually washed his body, his hair, his face… everything. And it was only seconds after the soap was down the drain that he burst into tears. He slowly sank down and sat on the shower floor, hugging his knees, rocking back and forth slowly.

He knew it. He knew it the moment he stepped behind Itachi. He knew it when he raped the Hinata of the other world, and when he sentenced Kiba to his fate. He had become his uncle. He was as heartless and cold and hurtful as Lord Hiashi. He was as selfish and hateful and bitter as his cousin Hinata. He hated them, and yet he had become just like them. And so he hated himself.

The tears wouldn't stop and neither would the pain. He suddenly realized that his previous reason for living, his dear Hanabi, was gone. Now, even in the comforts of Orochimaru's playhouse, he knew that he would feel no hesitation in ending his life.

He got out of the shower and dried himself. If he killed himself it would at least be in the warm, soft comfort of the bed. His crimson blood would barely show on the sheets. Crimson… red…. Sandy reddish hair and a red tattoo flashed through his vision and he groaned and pushed the image back. But when he pushed back the red he saw the pale blue eyes instead. When he tried to banish all color he saw the pale skin.

Rei froze in the middle of the room, his hands over his face. He wanted Gaara here now. There was no denying it now. After all, it would end soon. He let the image return and flood his thoughts. Gaara had a warm, kind wisdom in his eyes. He accepted Neji, needed him at times, and wanted so little in return. They used each other, but Gaara never discarded him. Not until…

…Not until he left him behind.

Or did he? Was Itachi telling the truth? Did they have no choice? Did Gaara worry about him? He was sick… so did he even know that Neji… Rei… had been left behind?

Rei let himself hope, for a brief instant, that Gaara had spared him at least a shred of a thought. After all, Gaara never really wanted anything from him in order to be friends. He treated Rei as… a real person, not a toy or a slave or a plaything or an outcast.

He looked down at the razor he was going to use to slit his own wrists an dropped it to the floor. He couldn't die without seeing Gaara again. He needed the closure.

Suddenly the door opened behind him and two guards pushed Hinata into the room. The Hinata from Gaara's own world, still drained of her chakra. She collapsed to her knees and stared up at him with pleading eyes. He smiled bitterly at her. Because they both knew that for as long as he remained living, his descent into hell would continue with all its wickedness. Her torture before was brief compared to what he'd put her through tonight.

* * *

Gaara knew he would fall asleep first when they stopped to rest. Neji, ever dutiful, wouldn't hear of taking the second watch. Gaara insisted that it would be fine if they both slept, but Neji wouldn't let the Kazekage sleep without someone constantly vigilant. Not feeling confrontational, Gaara let the matter be. He laid down on the cool grass under the ceiling of trees, the moon high in the sky, and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before he started to slip into a dream.

But then the pain was very sudden, ripping him from all comfort. The air was think and his lungs… his entire body… felt constricted. His eyes snapped open but he couldn't move. His entire body, and everything around him was on fire. He was being pulled to pieces. Everyone one of his senses was being violated. He was going to die in this inferno of hatred and despair and pain.

Suddenly, too suddenly, the pain ceased and the fire disappeared. Gaara was gasping for breath now, his body in heaven with the cool air on it. That was no mere illusion.

He released that there was a heavy object lying on top of him, and as he regained his senses he realized it was Neji. Neji had thrown himself on top of Gaara when the attack, whatever it was, struck them both. And Gaara was clinging to Neji, his arms wrapped around him and digging into his long hair and his clothing. But Gaara couldn't force himself to let go or move at all. His body was rigid and shaking from the shock.

After a long moment, Gaara realized that Neji wasn't moving. The only movement was his heavy, uneven breathing. His arms were wrapped strongly around Gaara, crushing him close. From the strength Gaara could tell that Neji was at least somewhat conscious, but he knew that both of their chakra systems were in an erratic state of confusion and overload. Neji was probably fairing far worse trying to put his advanced system back in perfect, flawless order.

After a long moment Neji loosened his hold and lifted his weight just a bit. He rose up slightly to look down at Gaara. Finding him completely alert, Neji slowly started to lift more of his weight, but Gaara still hadn't let go of him. Quite frankly, Gaara didn't want to… and he'd drop his pride and play the hurt and vulnerable Kazekage in need of protection as long as he needed to. To his relief, Neji settled his weight gently. Gaara felt a little bad at first. It probably took a lot of Neji's strength just to lift himself up the first time. But when Neji's weight pressed him against the ground again he realized he didn't feel THAT bad.

"What was it?" Gaara asked softly, slackening his shaky hold on Neji just a bit.

"I don't know," Neji whispered. Because of his position his breath hit Gaara's ear just right, making him shiver. "I'll look as soon as I'm able," he continued. "My chakra needs a moment to recover. Anything that can cause a disruption in our bodies like that is highly dangerous."

With all of the breathing Neji was doing in his ear Gaara was starting to feel a different sort of "disruption" in a certain area of his body. He released his hold on Neji, giving him more freedom to get up when he wanted. But Neji didn't seem to care to move at the moment. He was too exhausted, and Gaara couldn't say with completely honesty that he minded. But despite the distraction he was alert now, ready to attack whatever made a move against them. But somehow they both knew that the threat was probably no where near them. Inside this world, who knew what kind of disruption it could be?

A cloud above slowly drifted and blocked a bit of the moonlight. Gaara was looking off to the side, searching for threats when something hit his cheek. Thinking first of rain, he absently reached up to brush it off of his face, but it wasn't wet. There were grains of sand there. Gaara turned his attention to the sky, not thinking much of it.

It was then that he realized the sky was cloudless….

"Neji!" Gaara yelled, seeing the sand looming above them. Neither of them had sensed it.

Suddenly, Neji was pulled away from him. Sand had wrapped itself around his body in seconds and he was now being held stationary in a standing position, sand gripping his limbs and waist and neck tightly.

"It isn't me," Gaara said, standing up shakily. "I'm not doing it."

"Yes it is," returned a familiar, monotone voice from behind Neji.

Gaara's eyes widened as the attacker stepped out from behind Neji and the swirling sand. There stood a perfect mirror image of himself.

"If you move," the double said firmly, "Or if so much as a grain of sand shifts, I will crush every bone in his body."

"Who are you?" Gaara demanded.

"Gaara of the Desert," the double responded automatically.

"Why are you holding him hostage?" Gaara demanded. "What do you want?"

The double smirked, and then his face became very wild. Inhuman. "Blood…" he hissed. "We both know… it makes _him_ excited…."

Gaara's eyes widened and his heart sped up. He couldn't mean….

Neji suddenly let out a gasp. He was slowly being crushed to death. The sand was snaking all around his body. His chakra was still erratic and low from the sudden attack moments ago. But a small sound behind Gaara made him realize that Neji wouldn't make a move to save himself. He glanced back to see that the double had produced a sharp, solidified sword-like column of sand behind him, ready to stab straight through him. Neji wouldn't move with someone threatening Gaara's life.

"If it's blood you want," Gaara said, "You have mine."

"I plan to kill you also" the double said flatly.

The sand shifted menacingly, and suddenly it wrapped itself completely around Neji's body, encasing him in a cocoon of sand. He would suffocate soon, but Gaara knew that wasn't the kind of death the double intended.

"Stop!" Gaara yelled. "Release him! I'll meet whatever demands you have!"

"There is nothing you can give me," the double muttered raising his hand towards the cocoon.

"No…"

"I love only myself," the double said darkly, slowly closing his hand into a fist.

"Spare him!"

"No," the other said with a wild glint in his eye. "I need more…."

With a simple movement, his hand closing into a tight fist, Gaara watched as the double commanded the cocoon to constrict. He turned away, hearing the familiar crunch of sand that he had been the source of so many times in the past. He heard the sand cocoon drop and the sand falling away from the body.

"What are you?" Gaara asked, turning back to the double, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I am not this world's, or the next world's," the other responded. "I am simply you."

And with that, he disappeared, dissipating into the air as though he were made of sand. Just like that, he was gone.

Gaara ran over to the heap of sand and started to move it away from Neji's body. His chakra still wasn't working well enough for him to move it easily. But he didn't care how hard it was. He just knew that if Neji was even slightly alive, something could be done. Gaara would find a way to save him. He would! He started to dig frantically until he uncovered hair and cloth and finally skin. But…

…No blood.

Neji groaned softly and opened his shining white eyes almost sleepily. He searched Gaara's face, then smiled at him gently before turning his head and falling asleep. Not dead… not hurt… just asleep. Peacefully asleep. Perfectly vulnerable and at ease.

Gaara moved more of the sand away from Neji's body gently. He checked to make sure Neji was really asleep before firmly moving his hands over his limbs and torso. There wasn't the slightest hint of a broken bone or so much as a fracture. Confused, Gaara lifted Neji's sleeves slightly and pulled down the color of his robes. No bruises whatsoever. Not even a scratch. Now that Gaara knew that he was alive and well he allowed himself to think of the gruesome details of the technique that Neji had just survived. Gaara knew how much pressure could easily be produced in that coffin of sand. And yet Neji had survived unharmed. Perhaps the double had bluffed. It was the only explanation.

Unless….

Gaara's eyes widened at the realization that struck. Neji was capable of disrupting, altering, projecting, decreasing, and increasing the flow of chakra with more accuracy than almost any ninja alive. When Gaara used sand, he had to flow his chakra through it to get it to move. But Neji could easily counter this simply by ejecting chakra from his own body to alter the flow of Gaara's chakra in the sand. In other words, using what little energy he had he created a barrier of chakra between himself and the sand coffin and weakened the force of it immensely. Meaning… Neji was immune to most of his sand attacks.

Contrary to how others might feel in this situation, Gaara found himself incredibly amused. Maybe even… happy. He remembered how he had recently nearly crushed Neji's throat, but how Neji made no move and expelled no chakra to stop him. He really did trust Gaara. And he respected him and let him lead even though Gaara would have hell if he never needed to fight Neji. And most importantly, between the both of them Neji had the upper hand, and for this reason, he was always protecting Gaara to the best of his ability. He wasn't there assuming Gaara would protect him because of his rank. He really and truly was there to serve and protect Gaara of his own free will.

He gently brushed the remaining sand from Neji's face, being especially gentle around his eyes, and allowing his finger one pass over his lips.

The new threat was horrifying to him. His double appeared to be the way he would have been if he hadn't met those in Konoha who were so willing to selflessly love others. He thought of the way Gai had jumped in front of Lee to protect him from Gaara's attack. But thinking of Lee, and the way Gaara had tried to kill him more than once in the past, only reminded him that his double could be truly dangerous.

"Blood makes _him_ excited," the double had said. Gaara shuddered. He wouldn't let himself think of what that probably meant. But deep down, he had a good guess.

Neji started to shiver, his body not producing heat properly with the sudden loss of energy. Gaara sighed gently at the fact that he had brought Neji at all. Every situation became more and more tempting. He started a fire, and then slowly rested his body on top of Neji's, giving him whatever body heat he had left. Suddenly Neji's had lifted and touched the back of his head. Gaara lifted his weight and looked down at Neji apologetically, but the other young man didn't looked offended in the least at the close contact.

"Are you alright?" he asked, barely audible.

Gaara nodded down at him dumbly as Neji's hand in his hair made his scalp tingle. Those long fingers slowly slid from the back of his head and against his neck, pulling the unkempt strands of hair lightly and then very gently caressing his skin before Neji's hand dropped. He was asleep again. But Gaara hovered there frozen. In all his years trying to understand pain and suffering, this was something he hadn't considered. His skin was still aching for that touch.

* * *

"What did they do to you?" Hinata asked softly, her chest still heaving slightly as she lie sweating on the bed.

Rei sat on the edge of the bed, not looking at her. He had taken her, violated her, dominated her… but not broken her as he had planned to. His head was so filled with Gaara that whenever he closed his eyes he couldn't inflict that much pain. He had treated Gaara carelessly, but no, he couldn't hurt him like he could hurt her. So thankfully, for her, she was someone he could masturbate into while Gaara's image flashed through his mind.

"What the fuck do you care?" he muttered, annoyed that his thoughts of his red-haired lover were interrupted.

"Is… is your name Neji in this world?"

"Not anymore," he hissed.

"Your father gave you that name, cousin Nej--"

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Don't act like you know me or anything about me. And don't associate me with your cousin. If he had any sense he would have killed you by now."

"He would never do that," Hinata said with quiet certainty. "He's gentle, and kind. He'll come for me."

"Then he is broken," Rei growled, turning to look her in the eye. "You've broken him into submission. And I will put him out of his misery if I ever see him."

Hinata stared at his nude back and she pulled the sheets further up her bare chest. She looked at his thin, almost-delicate looking body and the shoulder-length dark hair that lacked the ethereal life and luster of her true cousin's. Yes, if there was any word to describe Neji, her true Neji, it would be ethereal.

"You have no idea what he's like," she whispered, as the realization hit her. "You have no idea what he became."

"I know he's a slave to the main branch just as I was. I know you rule over him in your world just as Hinata did in this world." He started up at the ceiling. "I want to see him. The final product of one who was broken and didn't fight back against his fate. I want to see how much lower I would have been had I not done what I had to survive." He smirked bitterly to himself. "And you call such a weak being your cousin."

"He isn't weak! He's not broken! He did fight--" Hinata began in her cousin's defense.

"Let me guess," Neji interrupted as he turned to glare at her menacingly. "He will do as your family asks. He is unflinchingly loyal. His life and his existence belong to you!"

"His existence is his own! His life is his own! Cousin Neji is not my slave!"

"How dare you call him cousin when I have no doubt he bares the seal of slavery on his forehead!"

"He has chosen to bare it for the time being, in order to protect me," Hinata said, looking into his eyes and hoping that her point was becoming clear.

"Him… protect YOU?" Rei said. "Does this mean my counterpart was forced to become one of those wretched guardian escorts? A shield and target practice for your enemies when you can damn well protect yourself? The shame of that is worse than my own."

"No, Rei," Hinata said softly, using his new name because she couldn't bare use the name of her kind cousin with him. "You don't understand…."

"Hiashi's best trained whore?" Rei smiled bitterly.

"My father cares for Neji… as do I," she said gently.

"Yes, I'm sure you 'care' for him quite well, about as much as I 'cared' for you ten minutes ago."

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she sat up. "You aren't like him at all…. Nothing alike. I see nothing of him in you."

"Good," Rei said flatly.

"Yes," Hinata said sadly. "I pity you, Rei. And for me… of all people… to pity someone… I… I…."

Rei swiftly turned and backhanded her across the face. "Save your pity for yourself," he spat. "Or for him when we kill him."

"You can't kill him," she said softly, holding her cheek.

"Will you try to stop me? I'll only be doing him a favor by--"

"He isn't some slave of mine!" she cried out. "Sasuke told me a little of the Hyuuga clan in this world but it's not the same in mine! Neji is one of the most powerful people from the clan in my world! He's a Jounin, Rei…. He's one of the most powerful people in our village. He protects me because he is a good person, not just because my father wants him to! And I can never even hope to be as strong as him!"

Rei was on his feet now, eyes wide, fists tense. But he wasn't looking at her. He quickly moved over to the window and opened the long panes of glass to get some of the dark air inside. Still nude, he slowly sank into a chair by the flawless glass. "You're lying," he said finally. "There is no way…."

"While most of the rest of us were preparing for another round of Chuunin exams, Neji was already prepared to be a Jounin. His taught himself our clan's most powerful techniques without any aid. He was at the top of his class and trains with a full taijutsu team who is currently our generation's most powerful team. At this point, few remain who can beat him, let alone challenge him with the expectation of actually doing anything. And if anything happens to him, father will do everything in his power to get him home safely, as will Tsunade, our Hokage."

"Why are you telling me this…?" he said, his hands shaking against the arms of the chair. Was it anger? Frustration?

"Because even if everything that happened to you had happened to him, no matter how bad, he would still never be like you! Because… Rei… when faced with the truth Neji doesn't run away. He knows mercy and forgiveness. Don't you want to at least feel a fraction of the well-being he does?"

Rei looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I had that fraction, and the Hinata I knew took it… took her… away from me…. I will never be whole again."

They both dully registered the door opening, and soon Hinata was being made to dress in a flimsy robe and dragged back to her cell. He thought it was over when the door shut, but a sudden presence was looming over him. The second he looked up Orochimaru gently wiped a stray tear away with his thumb as he cupped Rei's cheek.

"Poor thing," Orochimaru smiled gently. "You look so tired."

"I'm fine," Rei said, wiping away another tear quickly. "Whatever you want… I can--"

"Mentally tired, Rei, not physically," Orochimaru said. "And I'm not here for anything in particular."

The young man nodded, and seemed to relax a little. Orochimaru took his hand and led him to bed, where he pulled the covers over him and sat on the edge lightly.

"Do you need a vacation, Rei?" he asked, still holding the young man's hand. "Do you need time away from here?"

"It's too cold outside," Rei said softly as he started to drift off. "This is the warmest I've ever been…."

Orochimaru knew he didn't mean the temperature. Ouside… there was nothing for Rei….

--To Be Continued--


	13. Evils

**Mirror of Beyond: part XIII: Evils**

"Excuse me, kind sirs, but you haven't paid the full amount for all of you!" the manager said nervously, approaching the large group of men.

"Get away," a drunken man with white eyes growled with a wave of his hand. He drank another cup of warm sake hastily.

"Maybe you've had enough," one of his companions muttered. "We should get back to Konoha."

"My entire clan was killed," he said, filling his cup again. "It's never enough. There are only a few nobles left in the clan. The rest are trash, scattered throughout the continent."

"Maybe if you fuck enough women you can repopulate the clan," another man chuckled.

This brought laughs from the others. "Wouldn't be here if we just wanted the women!" one of the laughed.

"I'm sorry for your loss, sir," the manager sputtered. "But there are so many of you, and my business needs—"

He found himself cut off when the music started. Beautiful, enchanting music. The men smirked and focused on the curtain ahead. The lamps around them were dimmed by the young waiters. The manager, sighing in defeat, slumped against a nearby wall.

The curtains, shimmering softly with the light of the many lanterns opened and revealed a kimono clad figure. It clung beautifully to the body of the thin figure inside… that person still half hidden in the shadows of the stage. The rowdy group of men fell silent as the figure stepped forward, the gold kimono rustling only slightly with every movement. And then the music started. A torrent of notes from the shamisen and drums around them, and the figure began to dance. Swirling and moving so gracefully that it seemed as though an angel had descended. Or perhaps a devil, or any other manner of creature who could so easily defy the laws of gravity and friction, moving across the stage and cutting through the air without resistance.

And then the figure glided to the center of the stage again, moving only slightly. Delicate looking fingers rose and slowly pulled away at the obi, letting it drop to the floor. And then the body inside the thick fabric of the kimono started to move, enchanting as a snake, body moving in waves against the music. The kimono slowly fell over the figures pale, bare chest. Of course… a young man. But the men watching weren't any less enchanted as he slowly turned, bringing the kimono down from his shoulders, lower and lower down his back, then slowly past his behind, giving them all a glimpse of what they longed to possess at this moment, but couldn't. His body tempted them again with another serpentine movement, and then the young man brought the kimono back up to his shoulders and turned, flashing them a knowing smirk that vanished almost instantly.

The music slowed and so did his movements. He slowly sank to his knees, still graceful, and let one of his hands slide between his legs. He then brought it back up, to the dismay of those watching and stood again. The music slowed even more, then died away. They watched his every movement as he left the stage.

The Hyuuga beckoned the manager over, and the manager hastily walked over to him. Before he could protest, thinking they wanted more sake than they had paid for, the Hyuuga slipped him a sum much larger than he had been hoping for the entire night.

"How much for time with that one?" the white-eyed man asked.

The manager watched as several leaned in for an answer, and several more bills and coins were pushed into his hands.

* * *

The highest bidder for the night was the Hyuuga man. His comrades left in a fit of drunken giddiness knowing that they would be able to return later. He had all the privacy he wanted, and believed he paid more than enough to get anything he desired.

He entered the young man's room and shut the door behind him slowly. He then looked at him, lying down on his futon, his kimono still on and wrapped around him. But it would be easy to open without the obi. The man approached in the dark room and stared down at his prize. The young man shifted, clearly intentionally, and let some of the silken fabric shift aside, revealing his most erotic possession. He looked up at the man, his expression unchanging but with a seductive, almost playful look in his eyes.

The Hyuuga man, still drunk, fell upon the young man and ripped open his kimono, revealing the soft porcelain pale flesh underneath. He forced his tongue into the waiting mouth and moved his hands roughly over the body beneath him. The entire time the young man was compliant, not fighting, moving in tune with the man perfectly. The open jar of oil not far from the futon told the man that his object of desire had already be prepared before his arrival. But first things first….

He sat on the young man's chest and grabbed a handful of his hair. "Down your throat," he barked. The young man obeyed and wrapped his lips around the object so ready for him. The white-eyed aggressor groaned looking down at the scene before him. Dully he registered the bright red hair of the young man, and the long, delicate lashes whenever he looked up, his large eyes seductive and his pale, childlike mouth taking him in as though he were candy. Unable to take it for long, he got off and flipped his whore over onto his stomach, pulling him to his hands and knees and ramming himself inside with little resistance.

"How bad did you want it before I came in?" the man muttered, shoving himself in as deep as he could reach, listening to his pet's breathing speed up.

"Maybe not as bad as you did," the young man chuckled, his voice playful and light. He looked back, that childlike look daring the man to go deeper, harder, faster. And the man did, not wanting his submissive to get the better of him.

This position grew uncomfortable, so the man released his toy for a moment and fell onto his back. "Ride me," he commanded. The boy obeyed and climbed on top, reaching down and impaling himself slowly until rough hands pulled him down completely. Still clad in his open golden kimono, the youth only smirked and started to ride him, grinding his hips when he felt like being an even bigger tease. The man's hips bucked upward, desperate for more.

"Just wait, my little slut," the man smirked. "I'll having you gaping open by the end of the night."

The young man smirked gently, and it was only then that the man realized that his expression had always been the same childlike look. Pretty, playful… and only slightly amused.

"Let's play a game," the young man said, leaning down. "Let's see who gapes first."

The Hyuuga man blinked, something in that whisper putting him on edge. But it was too late. Soon, it was raining knives and daggers and kunai. Seemingly held be invisible string, the man was punctured like a pin-cushion, his blood covering everything in sight. He twitched, dying, unable to scream with a blade through his throat. And yet the childlike one on top of him continued to ride, gaining speed, untouched by the blades. But his movements were still only slightly amused.

The blades rose into the air again, tugged by the invisible strings, and they fell again and again until the man was dead. But even after he was dead the youth didn't stop his ride until he was finished. And even then the climax was mediocre at best.

"What a boring toy you were," he murmured.

* * *

The room was cleaned up soon after. No one knew what had happened. The story would be that the man left in the middle of the night, still drunk. No one knew what became of him. Yes. That would be the story.

"Odd thing, this missing Hyuuga," the manager would say. "Odd thing, odd thing."

"It is," the young man would agree in passing.

A few days later, many dances later, the young man had another high paying customer. He sat in his room, having a feeling that there was no need to prepare for anything. And he was right. A man with very light brown hair stepped inside and closed the door. He sat in front of him.

"You didn't have to pay to get in," the young man scoffed. "The manager has seen you here before, Yashamaru."

"It's less suspicious this way," Yashamaru said, smiling slightly.

"Why have you come?"

"How are you?" Yashsamaru smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"You aren't here for my well-being, Yashamaru, spit it out."

"Sasori… I'm worried about you. You should be out in the desert with us. Not here in a town so close to Konoha. People will get suspicious if those around you keep dying."

"I'm not killing all of them," Sasori said. "Just the ones who can service Orochimaru the most."

"And selling yourself to the rest?" Yashamaru said softly. He tilted his head and looked him over. "They aren't aware of how old you really are?"

"I got my father's baby-face," Sasori said. "The younger the better for most of these men. They assume I'm young and it makes them feel powerful. It works in my favor."

"Come back with me," Yashamaru said. "We'll leave today."

Sasori stared off into a corner of the room distantly.

"You might be closer to Konoha but no closer to him," Yashamaru said. "We don't know if he's ever coming back. And all this punishment you're inflicting on yourself, all of this," he said, waving his hand around the room, "Is for nothing."

Sasori sighed softly and stared at him for a moment. "Fine. I was bored anyway."

Yashamaru smirked. "Good. Let's go. I've got some things to tell you that you'll find interesting."

* * *

Gaara was impressed. Sneaking into Konoha had been fairly easy. Neji often looked surprised at the lack of security in certain areas as they stealthily entered the village.

"A village ruled by fear," Neji said, "Often lets its guard down in arrogance."

They had made their way through the village at night, using cloaks that obscured much of their bodies and made them look like the many frightened villagers scurrying around. Gaara often had to grab on to Neji and pull him forward, as it took every fiber in Neji's being not to act against every injustice he saw. Women being raped out in the open near the park, children being beaten in the street, the elderly being abused. If it was this bad at night Neji couldn't comprehend how bad it was in the day. Gaara could practically feel his disgust. This place was, after all, another version of Neji's own village.

They finally made it to the Hyuuga compound, which had been sealed off after all of the bodies had been disposed of. Finding the place completely empty, the two decided to stay there for the night. As an extra precaution Neji led Gaara to one of the rooms that was hardest to get to, and the most hidden.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, staring at Neji, who was looking a bit pale.

"It's a bit overwhelming… and extremely aggravating to be here, Lord Gaara," Neji murmured. He took a deep breath and tried to relax himself. "And I don't just mean this building… but this village. It's so unlike what every part of me says it should be."

After a few moments of silence he stood and opened the door. "I'm going to look around," he said softly. "I'll be able to see you wherever you are."

"Wait," Gaara said. He looked around, wondering what he should say. If Neji were to see something about his opposite here….

"Would you like to join me, or rest?" Neji asked.

Gaara looked at him and saw no great wish to be alone, and so he walked over to him. "I'll come."

He followed Neji through the dark halls, lit only by a small lantern held in Neji's hand. Gaara realized that the lantern was to his benefit, because Neji's eyes didn't require it. It didn't take long for Gaara to realize that Neji was headed for the room that was supposed to be his. He opened the door and glanced around in the darkness, then shook his head.

"Your room wouldn't be in the same place here," Gaara said softly.

"I wonder where it is then…" Neji said, sounding very interested.

The two examined room after room. Finally they came to one that was lavishly decorated and feminine. The strong smell of perfume still hung in the air, and some revealing clothing was strewn across the bed.

"This was probably Hinata's room," Gaara said. "One of them anyway."

Neji blinked and searched his face in surprise, then entered and looked around. He had handed Gaara the lantern, and Gaara checked a room not far from this one. This one was more innocent and childlike. Most likely Hanabi's. After one more try, he found what he was looking for. Neji was already behind him before he could call.

The room was clean, but extremely cold. Modest clothing was in the closet. There were few possessions that stood out. There was no evidence of anything used to study or train or meditate or even relax.

Neji tilted his head curiously. "I'm even more boring in this world," he said softly. After a few more moments of regarding the room he backed out and began to look for his uncle's study. Gaara swiftly grabbed his sleeve.

"Lord Gaara?" Neji asked gently, turning to him.

"I understand your curiosity," Gaara said. "But you should learn as little of that man as possible."

Neji seemed to think about this, but trusting Gaara's judgment he nodded and they turned back, returning to the room they had decided to stay in.

Neji quickly put out two futons and found a small kettle and portable gas warmer for tea. He also set out food that they had gather in a village nearby. Gaara was amazed at the speed and grace with which Neji completed these tasks. He was also put on edge by them. It was like he was a servant in this household all over again.

"Neji…" Gaara asked, staring at the flames from the burner under the tea. "How are you treated by your family?" He had a slight feeling he had asked before, but even if he had he needed ask again to be sure.

Neji looked up calmly and handed Gaara a cup of tea. "Well," he said. "I am not mistreated."

Gaara's face held no expression but Neji caught the way he looked around the room. The look of distaste in his eyes.

"How bad was it for him? My look-alike?" Neji asked gently.

Gaara's face was the same but he blinked uneasily at first. "He was raped by his uncle, and other people in this family frequently. He was beaten, humiliated, mentally and emotionally ruined. Untrained, neglected, hated, used. Only in the mirror have I ever seen anyone so damaged…."

Neji met Gaara's eyes. Gaara saw in those white eyes a deep pain. A feeling of pity or empathy, he couldn't tell. But it was a kind look. And their eyes locked, perhaps for too long. Neji was the first to look away. And Gaara felt a slight tear in his chest at the loss of that gaze. He didn't like this feeling.

"Neji--" Gaara began, staring a little too intensely at his teacup. "I--"

"Someone is here," Neji whispered.

Gaara looked up, but hadn't sensed anything. But Neji knew this area. This massive clan estate. The sound of the gates and the shifting of the sand on the paths outside, far below the open window. He activated his Byakugan and appeared to look through the wall. His eyes widened a bit.

"Suppress your chakra," he whispered as he turned the tea's burner off. Gaara did so, and Neji was forced to as well, even though it required him to shut off his Byakugan. "Orochimaru, and one other… possibly… my counterpart."

"Is this the safest place in this building?" Gaara whispered.

"There is nothing here of value," Neji whispered back. "It's probably best to stay here."

They heard the voices below getting closer, and finally doors were opened, and people had stepped into the halls downstairs and far away. But the footsteps grew closer and closer until they were dangerous.

"Take your time," the two heard Orochimaru saying, his voice echoing in the hallway. They now had their backs flat against the walls on either side of the door, barely breathing.

"Thank you," came the eerily family voice. Neji grew slightly uneasy hearing his own voice echoing in the hallway.

"Are you sure there is nothing more you want?" Orochimaru asked.

"There is nothing I treasured more than her," the other voice said. "I read this book to her whenever I could. I just want it in my possession."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. These two were getting along far too well.

"Well now you have it," Orochimaru said proudly. "Shall we return? You need to eat. We don't want you getting ill, my pet."

"My pet?!" Neji mouthed silently across from Gaara in disbelief.

Gaara held his stoic expression, but rose a finger to his own lips to remind Neji to stay as silent as possible.

After a few seconds of silence and then some unknown movement Orochimaru chuckled. "Ready for dessert already?" he asked in a seductive tone. "I'd prefer you ate first so you have energy. Then I can fill you up in an entirely different way tonight."

"Fill him up?" Gaara mouthed in a silent disgusted mutter. Neji looked absolutely horrified.

"I thought you wanted to… hurt… Itachi tonight," Neji's double said. Gaara and Neji exchanged glances at Itachi's name.

"It can wait," Orochimaru replied, sounding amused. "He isn't going anywhere. Besides, I've been lacking time with you. And if you like, we can have a little fun with Hinata as well. I can hurt her for you anytime you want me to. It might provide you with some entertainment."

Gaara glanced at Neji and saw his jaw tense, but he remained still and calm. Gaara closed his eyes and paid attention to his own breathing to keep himself centered. In, out, in, out… out, in, in, out, out…. Gaara opened his eyes slowly when he realized that it felt as though someone was breathing against the back of his neck. Neji's face plainly told him that someone was there. With Orochimaru still in the hallway Gaara turned his head, very slowly, very quietly.

He was met face to face with… himself.

Gaara was horrified to see his double at a time like this. He appeared in this dark room completely without warning. He stood there in the moonlight from the window, a wild smile spreading across his lips. He leaned against the wall looking relaxed, without a care for what was on the other side. And then sand started to rise slowly outside in view of the open window. All Neji and Gaara could do was stare. The amount of chakra that it took to move sand would alert anyone who could sense chakra….

Suddenly the sand smashed through the window, causing enough noise to wake anything nearby. Gaara and Neji could hear the footsteps from the other side of the door getting closer. Orochimaru was coming, but now it was hard to determine which threat was more dangerous. Neji jumped in between the two Gaaras as a shield.

"Futile," the dark double smirked.

And at that moment the door flew open. With the evil double at the window and Orochimaru at the door, the two were trapped.

* * *

"You look like you honestly believe this story," Sasori muttered as they moved at a relaxed pace.

"If you had seen him, you'd understand," Yashamaru said.

"I understand that we're getting further from Konoha when we should be going after Orochimaru and his subordinates."

"In good time," Yashamaru said. "My forces were depleted. We have to regroup."

Sasori sighed gently and stopped running. Yashamaru stopped immediately and turned to face him.

"Orochimaru has a pleasure mansion," Sasori said. "The men who came in had loose tongues when drunk. Apparently there has been some unusual activity there. People who are supposed to be missing or dead have been seen there. If, as you say, there are doubles, it would make sense."

Yashamaru smirked at him.

"I said 'if,'" Sasori said, turning his youthful-looking face away with a slight blush. "It's still an illogical story." He looked tense for a moment. "I can try to infiltrate the--"

"No," Yashamaru shook his head. "I'm not letting you do something like that again. That's why I came to get you."

"It's the best I can do…" he said softly. "It's all I can do."

"Take up your art again," Yashamaru said gently. "You were the best puppet-master. Who knows if anyone else alive can master puppets anymore? They won't know what hit them."

"I couldn't protect him with those puppets," Sasori said, starting to walk forward again. "The most important person to me, and I couldn't do it. Forget it. What good are they to me now?" He looked down as he walked, growing more tense. "Yashamaru, why do you still fight? We've lost too many. Our powers are depleted. We're surrounded. It would be better to move everyone to a safer country so that we don't lose anymore."

"And leave the desert to Orochimaru?" Yashamaru shook his head. "That's our home, and I'm fighting for it." He walked beside Sasori and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Those children made quite the affect on you," Sasori rolled his eyes.

"It's hard not to be affected when you see Gaara move the sand," Yashamaru grinned, unaffected by the change in tone.

Sasori groaned, running his hand through his red hair. "How can I help?"

"It's simple," Yashamaru said. "We need to make an assassination attempt. With most of the Hyuuga clan gone it will be easy. And most of Konoha's most honorable and powerful Jounin were killed so they didn't stand up to Orochimaru. But this severely reduces his forces. He doesn't believe so because he's overconfident."

"He has the Sharingan now," Sasori replied.

"If Gaara and Neji succeed in getting their friends back, we'll have the Sharingan and the Byakugan."

"I don't have much faith in this, considering that we've had those things in the past," Sasori sighed. "But if Orochimaru has depleted forces now, I suppose it is the best time to measure what we can do. But if we fail, we're moving everyone far from here."

"If we move, he'll just find us," Yashamaru said softly.

"It's more time to live, or suffer living," Sasori said, glancing back the way they came for a brief moment.

* * *

Rei stood staring at Orochimaru's back. He was still far down the hall, wanting to stay out of the way. He cursed that he wasn't trained with Byakugan to see through those walls. Orochimaru glanced back at him to make sure he was keeping his distance, then nodded in approval when he saw that he was.

"We meet again," he heard Orochimaru say in amusement.

Rei shifted uneasily from leg to leg. Pacing slightly, then leaning against the wall, then pacing again. This just didn't feel right to him.

Suddenly, there was a crash. A loud deafening crash that made the walls and floor shake. He stood there in terror as sand blew into his face and then retreated back into the room. And in the same instant Orochimaru had dived into the room and grabbed hold of someone.

And then it was silent again. Orochimaru was in the room and out of his view now. Rei's eyes shifted about the dark hallway. There was a whisper here, a creek there, imaginings of distant wailings. This place was haunting him, and now he was alone in the shadows. Slowly, ever slowly, he made himself move forward towards the room. Orochimaru was there. He had to trust he'd be safe with him.

He took a cautious step into the room, and saw that the outer wall was completely destroyed. It looked like something had simply scooped it off the side of the building. He could see the surrounding village easily now, and the night sky. Debris filled the room, and sand scattered across the floor.

"Ah Rei," Orochimaru smiled. "It seems we have a visitor."

Rei looked over to see Orochimaru standing there with his prisoner.

"Gaara…?" Rei whispered. He couldn't believe his eyes. He forgot the danger that could be lurking and walked over to Gaara, who wasn't fighting or struggling under Orochimaru's grip. Gaara stood there passively, clearly taking him in.

"Why don't you fight?" Orochimaru wondered out loud. "I know better than to think you've given up."

Gaara didn't answer. Instead his eyes went to the destroyed wall.

Rei didn't know what to say or do. Gaara was here, now… finally. He wasn't sure he'd actually see him again. It was a few moments before Rei felt Orochimaru's eyes on him.

"So this is where your thoughts kept escaping to," Orochimaru sighed with a kind smile. "Very well. We have no choice but to take him with us then."

"Lord Orochimaru!" Kimimaro called out as he leapt into the building through the broken wall. "I was nearby when the wall was blown out."

Rei took a step back as Kimimaro entered and took a good, long look at Gaara. His thoughts were clearly the same as Orochimaru's. Gaara stood silently, not fighting, or running. But why?

Orochimaru suddenly smirked. "You're plotting something, but I do not fear it." He stepped aside and allowed Kimimaro to escort Gaara out of the building. Rei stood stone still until Orochimaru took him by the hand and led him out as well.

Rei couldn't imagine what Gaara thought when he saw him. Of course it looked suspect. Rei was looking so much healthier and better taken care of, yet he was with Orochimaru. He knew Gaara didn't think well of him right now. How could he? But it hardly mattered what he thought. What mattered was that Gaara was close to him again.

And there was something new about Gaara now. A certain ease and well-being. Strength. Strength that didn't need anyone or anything to remain standing. Any hint of vulnerability had vanished. And Gaara's vulnerabilities were what allowed Rei to get so close in the first place. Rei's eyes narrowed slightly. He was starting to dislike this change in Gaara's attitude. And he knew himself well enough to know the problem instantly. He wanted Gaara to need him again.

…And so he would have to break him. He'd need to expose those vulnerabilities. Then he could master him.

"He'll need to be chained, Kimimaro," Orochimaru said. "In one of the metal cells."

"I understand," Kimimaro nodded. Though even with this order, Orochimaru and Rei still escorted him down into the dungeons beneath the mansion. Rei was relieved, thinking that he'd be placed in the jails under Konoha with the rest of the prisoners of war. He'd be too far from him then. But no… they left the main village and went to the mansion, which Rei called home now. They took Gaara down to a solitary cell and chained his wrists and ankles so that he had very little movement around the cell. And Rei couldn't help but marvel at how good Gaara looked in chains.

"Come now, Kimimaro," Orochimaru smiled, putting an arm around Kimimaro's shoulders and walking him out. "Rei and Gaara probably have some things to talk about."

Kimimaro looked back at Rei with what could have been taken as a look of apprehension at leaving him behind. But he obediently went along. The two were left alone.

They stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time.

"So it's true?" Rei said, breaking the silence. "We have the other Hinata… so it must be true…. You really left this world."

"Yes," Gaara said. "And while I've been gone you've become a madman's plaything."

Rei narrowed his eyes. "What would you know? You left me behind. I'm lucky he didn't kill me on the spot. Who knows what might have happened?"

"Are you so easily broken that you've pardoned all his evils?" Gaara asked, no emotion on his face and only the barest hint of bite in his tone. "And we didn't leave you. We were pulled back to my world. The transfer was too much for so many people."

Rei shook his head and shut his eyes. "He's not as bad as everyone thinks. He's taken care of me. He's been kind to me."

"At what cost?"

"I will take this at any cost!" Rei snapped. "After all I've been through! The multiple hells I've lived through in this one life, Orochimaru has done more for me than anyone! This is heaven to me now, Gaara. You could never understand my pain, so don't act so righteous."

Gaara walked closer, the chains clanking. He walked closer until he couldn't walk anymore because the chains kept him in place. But he was close enough for Rei to feel his breath on his face.

"You don't know the meaning of hell," Gaara said lowly, his expression darkened. "One day of my life. One day from my past. And you would have been crawling back to your uncle. Because even if your body wasn't yours you at least had your mind. You had your will. I had NOTHING. And no one I know has ever hit rock bottom and surpassed it so much as I have. So forgive me for thinking that your reasons for joining these evils are weak." He backed up a step, his expression stoic again as though nothing had been said. "Where are the others?"

Rei glared. "Why should I tell you?"

"If you can't tell me then we have nothing to say to each other, Rei." Gaara said the name as though it were bitter.

Rei clenched his fists, but he knew better than to strike or do anything. If everything was true then Gaara was extremely powerful right now. And Rei wasn't stupid enough to think that he was defenseless, even while chained. But one thing was certain to him: The redheaded bastard was asking for it.

Kimimaro entered the cell, and Rei realized that time was up.

"Are you done talking?" Kimimaro asked, glancing at Gaara and then back to Rei.

"Yes," Rei said bitterly. "For now."

* * *

Neji hit the ground hard after being dropped by what felt like a whirlwind of sand. One instant he was standing between both versions of Gaara. The next thing he saw was the darker version destroying the side wall a second time with a massive, dense cloud of sand. And then Neji was pulled away and felt himself engulfed by that same sand. An in what seemed like only a second, he found himself in a completely different location. He quickly stood up and looked around.

"Do not bother trying to figure out where you are," a snide voice said. "We don't actually disappear into sand and magically appear somewhere else. Obviously there is a reverse summoning jutsu involved for long distances."

Neji looked over to see the darker version of Gaara standing there. "We?"

"He and I. Gaara and I. Even though he is me, and I am him. Together, we are Gaara."

"What have you done with him?" Neji asked calmly, keeping a good distance between them. He had already taken in their surroundings. They were in a large, shallow cave at the side of a mountain.

"He is not here," the darker version smirked. "It is only you and I."

"What do you want with me?" Neji asked, calculating a way out.

"I want you to fight back."

"I don't have time to fight you for your petty reasons," Neji sighed.

"You don't understand," the evil Gaara grinned, his look growing wild. "We won't be fighting. But I want you to fight back. It will be more satisfying if you fight against it. Resist it. Give me the chance to break you. To defile you. To feel your resistance drain out of you." He suddenly seemed to disappear from view and reappear behind Neji. "I'm going to hurt you," he breathed in his ear. "And it makes me excited."

--To Be Continued--

(A fairly short chapter, but it's necessary for now. Stay tuned!)


	14. Violations

**Mirror of Beyond: Chapter XIV: Violations**

He had to admit, before Suna fell and Orochimaru took the desert from them… he was good. No, he was better than good. He was one of the best. Sasori was the only puppet master in the world of his caliber. With youthful good looks that betrayed his age and the complete perfection he strove for, everyone respected him or wanted him. He wasn't arrogant about it, but he saw little point in being humble either. In fact he made it a point to carry himself as perfectly as he could at all times. Not only did it make him feel good, he needed to be a role model to keep the others strong. To never show weakness in the face of Orochimaru's invasions.

But there was always that one brat kid….

That cocky blonde kid was a pain in the ass. Looked like he couldn't be more than early to mid-twenties, if that. And he acted like he knew it all. Sasori thought it was laughable. Stupid kid didn't have half the experience he did.

His name was Deidara, and he'd always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the wrong place was wherever Sasori was, and the wrong time was whenever Sasori didn't want him there, which was always. And the idiot was always going on and on about blowing things up. He had some kind of pyro problem. And for someone like Sasori, who appreciated the delicate operations of things, this was a pain in more ways than one. Sasori would be fine-tuning a puppet for battle and then an explosion would rattle the place and throw everything off!

"Something wrong?" Deidara would smirk whenever Sasori would come out to inspect what was going on.

"Nothing," Sasori would say, trying not to grit his teeth. "Nothing at all."

He'd then return to his work. He wouldn't give this brat the satisfaction of seeing him lose his cool.

But one day the explosions didn't come. Sasori could hear people training outside and fighting all around his workshop, but no explosions. He had almost gotten used to them, but he was happy for the peace and quiet and not having to scramble around to save things from being damaged. He worked stress-free until evening and then drew his blinds closed, casting dim beams of sunset throughout the room.

He turned to pick up his pack from beside his desk and noticed it was missing. He blinked, wondering where and how he had misplaced it. He looked around, and then started to backtrack his steps. The last place to look was the storage room in the workshop. He sighed deeply, and walked into the shop, filled with life size puppet bodies and strings and bolts and joints. It was fairly dark, but he knew his way around. He saw his pack sitting on one of the tables near some equipment he had been using and walked over to it, breathing a sigh of relief. But before he could pick it up he saw what looked like a misplaced part on the table. He reached for it and held it in his hand, walking a little ways towards the door to hold it in the light. It looked like a small clay bird. He had seen something like this somewhere before….

He snapped his head up when he realized where the bird had come from. But at that exact moment he was grabbed from behind and thrown against a nearby table.

"You're insane enough to attack me in my own shop?" Sasori growled furiously. And he rose his hands, strings of nearly invisible chakra commanding the puppets around him to rise up. It was like a nightmare, with unfinished human and creature puppets coming to life, baring their weapons.

"Hold it," Deidara smirked. He forced a quick seal with his hands an a small explosion took out the back corner of puppets. "I've got the room rigged. That was a small one. Do you want to see something larger?"

Sasori showed his hesitation, and Deidara saw it plainly. Sasori the perfectionist couldn't see his beautiful puppets destroyed. He squinted a looked around. It was true. Various foreign objects were around the shop. And he knew the stupid kid was crazy enough to blow it up. He was always standing too close to his own explosions. It was like he didn't fear death or pain.

Sasori lowered his arms and the puppets became lifeless again. "What do you want?"

Deidara walked over to him casually. Sasori didn't flinch. He stood his ground. The blond smirked, his long hair completely loose for once, making him look more unkempt and insane.

"You're always so proper," Deidara chuckled, stepping close enough to make Sasori uncomfortable. "Don't you get tired of it?"

"Look, you cocky little--"

"Because I get tired of it," Deidara interrupted. He suddenly punched Sasori in the stomach and the red-head doubled over. As soon as he drew in a deep breath, something was forced into his mouth. It tasted like clay….

"If you don't keep pressure on it, you'll start to feel it warming up, and it will explode," Deidara said, completely calm.

Sasori stood up straight again, slowly. His jaw loosened slightly on the round clay bird in his mouth, and suddenly it grew very hot and started to tick. He quickly clenched down on it again.

Deidara smirked down at him and grabbed him forcefully, turning him around and forcing him to bend over the table.

"We'll need to watch those hands of yours also," Deidara said matter-of-factly. He handcuffed Sasori's hands to the table legs opposite them, so Sasori had no choice but to remain bent over the table, his upper half resting against the cold metal. When Deidara was satisfied with this he handcuffed his ankles to the table legs on either side of him, making Sasori spread his legs wide.

"You puppet masters make me laugh," Deidara smirked. "You're pathetic in close range combat."

It took a few minutes, but he managed to rip off Sasori's clothes. He laughed to himself and pushed one final round object in an extremely painful place. Sasori protested as best he could as the small object was forced inside of him. Deidara laughed again and walked out of the storage room.

"Remember to keep pressure on them," he called back, leaving Sasori there with one explosive in his mouth and the other buried in his ass.

Sasori panicked. If anyone caught him like this… he didn't even want to think about it. In fact, he considered just letting the damn things go off. But when he considered which parts of him would take the explosions the hardest he decided against it. Besides, he didn't want his dead body being found that way. He couldn't figure out which situation was more degrading: Being found dead or alive.

He tried to relax so he could think, but the instant he did he felt something growing very hot inside. He tensed up again and the one inside of him cooled slowly. But his body didn't like this intruder one bit….

Sasori felt it slipping out. He tensed his body quickly, shutting his eyes and trying to concentrate, while at the same time trying to get his hands free. But the metal cuffs against the metal table weren't helping one bit. After a long struggle of relaxing, feeling it warm inside him, and tensing again, he was getting tired. Finally he let out a breath to think, and it fell. He panicked when it hit the ground. He suddenly heard it ticking and braced himself.

But all that came was a loud pop.

"About damn time," Deidara laughed, walking back into the room.

Sasori angrily spit out the explosive in his mouth. It rolled off of the opposite end of the table and made the same popping sound.

"How sadistic do you think I am?" Deidara asked in a mock shocked tone.

"Get these things off of me," Sasori said, his mouth dry from the clay.

"I didn't say I wasn't sadistic, I was just surprised that you'd think I'd go that far," Deidara grinned.

He stood behind Sasori, and even though Sasori couldn't see him, he could feel his stares. Deidara stepped forward and leaned over Sasori's body, putting his chest on Sasori's back and pressing him painfully against the edge of the table.

"We aren't anywhere near done," Deidara whispered in his ear before biting it gently.

Keeping the weight on him, just to piss him off, Deidara slid a hand down his backside… slowly moving his hands over the curves there.

"I'm curious," Sasori hissed. "Have you ever tried to have sex with a willing person? Is that possible for you? Or do you cuff them all to tables?"

Deidara chucked and continued to touch him. "I don't see how it's any of your business," he smirked.

"It's my business when--!!"

Sasori's mind went blank. He squirmed against the table but there was no where to go. Something was suddenly very wrong.

"Surprised?" Deidara chuckled. "Don't you like it?"

Sasori shuddered. There was something hot and wet rubbing itself against him, trying to push itself inside.

"You never do pay attention, Sasori-san," Deidara smirked. He put his free hand where Sasori could see it. Sasori flinched when he saw what was there. On the palms of Deidara's hands were mouths. Actual mouths… with actual tongues.

Sasori gasped as the tongue tried to push itself inside of him again. "You mark my words… when I'm free you're as good as dead!"

"Who said I was going to free you after I use your body like a toilet?" Deidara chuckled.

He moved his free hand down and wrapped it around Sasori, sliding it between his legs. Sasori tried to buck his body away but he couldn't. The second tongue was tasting him, slowly teasing him. Sasori tried everything he could to get his mind off of it, but Deidara wouldn't let him.

"It'll stop when you cum," Deidara whispered in his ear. "You know you want it. You're a little slut deep down. All of you prim and proper types try to hide it, but deep inside you want to let it out." He started to stroke, still letting the tongue do it's work. Sasori's struggles slowly started to cease. "So Mr. Perfect," Deidara continued. "You think you can master your body so easily?"

Deidara withdrew his hand from behind Sasori, leaving him dripping with saliva. But Deidara didn't waste anytime replacing his hand with something else. It was as though he were doing any old task that he didn't really care about. Sasori made another effort at a futile struggle, but it made no difference.

The workshop was quiet one instant, and then filled with a long, drawn-out scream.

Deidara had trouble getting himself inside, but that didn't stop him from making painful effort after painful effort. And each time Sasori cried out in pain. Soon Deidara was thrusting in earnest, slamming Sasori's body against the cold table. He was using him as though he were an object. As though he was just a hole to get pleasure out of. He grabbed Sasori's hips and grinded himself inside before pumping harder, producing a series of gasps and pants from the red-head.

Before Deidara finished he pulled out and walked over to the side of the table, making sure to shoot every drop he could all over Sasori's face. Sasori shut his eyes. He had succeeded in his valiant efforts to keep from losing too much control or crying or begging. He just breathed heavily, glad it was over. Every part of him had strained and was hurting. But he could tell that Deidara didn't care one bit. In fact he thought Deidara was really going to leave again until the blonde stood behind him again and wrapped an arm around him, using his hand to stroke him again. Sasori had no fight in him. He just let it happen. He shut his eyes, his body spent. He let it happen. It took a while, but Deidara was patient… even gentle. He gently slid his free hand over Sasori's back from time to time. It was almost… soothing.

"Spend too much time around these puppets and people will see you like one," Deidara whispered to him. "Or you'll see yourself like one and forget you're human." He stroked faster and Sasori's body tensed slightly. "You can tell people I raped you," Deidara whispered in his ear. "Or you can ignore this happened. Either way I'll take the responsibility, and you can keep your moral high ground and your perfect image. I've done all the dirty work, and all you can do is let it happen while I claim you. You can't fight it, and there was nothing you can be blamed for… so give in." He slowly licked Sasori's ear as he stroked, the tongue on his hand licking in just the right spots. "Cum in my hand like the helpless little fucktoy you are. Let your cum coat my skin just like I defiled your pretty little face with mine." Sasori shook his head the best he could, fighting it. But Deidara was right. There was nothing he could do. His resistance was only prolonging the inevitable.

"You're making me hard again," Deidara whispered into his ear. "Maybe I should use your ass again. I'm sure it will slide in a lot easier this time. And I'll use you until it leaks out, so you can feel it in you until long after it's over."

Sasori let out an involuntary moan, and Deidara smiled against his ear. "Let it out," he whispered. Sasori tried to hold it in but he couldn't block these sensations. "Admit you want it, you cum-covered slut," Deidara smirked. And then his voice changed. It became darker, more menacing. "You're mine to use, and I'll make you my little bitch whenever and wherever I feel like it. I'll possess you in every way possible. That part of you deep down that wants to be corrupted will be my plaything."

Sasori groaned, his will to stop this from happening broken. A burst of shame erupted at the same time he came into Deidara's hand. His whole body shuddered at the release, and then he couldn't move anymore. Deidara smirked, and looked down at his possession. He then pulled out the key to the cuffs and let his toy lose, watching as he sank to the floor, exhausted.

And that night it was Deidara who covered him and helped him home. Deidara who cleaned him up and Deidara who was there when he went to sleep.

The workshop was seldom locked after that. Deidara took the burden upon himself to make himself the filthy one, doing everything in his power to make Sasori helpless to being ravaged and used. Letting Sasori keep his good image by forcing him to become his toy.

…Until Orochimaru came.

Sasori lost more than his home that day. He lost more than the desert. He lost so much more….

* * *

"There is something so delicate about young women, isn't there?" Orochimaru mused and he and Rei stood in the flower shop. The sun was already gone, and the closed shop was growing dark. "Males have a handsome quality all their own, one I much prefer. But girls have something indescribable to their beauty."

Rei was listening, but didn't respond. He was too busy watching the vain struggle as Kimimaro cornered the poor blonde who often ran the shop. Her wrists were tied behind her with wire used to hold the flower stems and bouquets together. Kimimaro seemed to be enjoying this more than usual. In fact, they were here to punish the family for being traitors and plotting an uprising, but the only one here was the young woman. She probably had nothing to do with it, but punishing ones family was a sure way to send a good message. Still, Kimimaro was taking delight in making this personal.

"Their bodies are softer and more delicate," Orochimaru continued as Kimimaro ripped open her blouse and pushed her bra up to expose her breasts. "Their curves make them appear as human flowers."

Kimimaro had her pinned against the wall. He forced his hands up her skirt and pulled the crotch of her panties aside so he could violate her. Rei couldn't see the details, but it was obvious when he pushed inside. The girl's eyes widened in terror and her jaw dropped slightly. Kimimaro was bent at the knees slightly, and his hips started to rock against her. He forced one of her legs up for easier access.

"And there is an entirely different feeling when you take them," Orochimaru chuckled. "Spreading open their womanhood, so delicate and flowerlike in itself, and sliding yourself into that soft, warm tunnel of flesh gives one the feeling of ultimately defiling and claiming something."

The girl whimpered pathetically as Kimimaro continued his assault. He wasn't extremely rough, but he was definitely drawing it out. Before he finished he pulled out and forced the girl to her knees. He forced her mouth open and forced it to pleasure him. He had her sitting with her head against the wall, and soon he put his palms against it and started to do the work for her, thrusting his hips forward, nearly choking her since her head had no where to go.

"This is a weapon we use a lot, isn't it?" Orochimaru said. "But there are so many reasons and ways to connect with someone through entering them and being entered by them. It can be the most pleasurable or the most painful thing in the world. But we truly find out who we are when we connect like this. We truly know about our relationship with someone else when we connect through our bodies."

"What do you think about these two then?" Rei asked as he heard the girl gag.

Orochimaru smiled and shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps the flowers are too expensive for him." He leaned against the wall as if nothing were happening. "But Rei, we haven't talked about Gaara yet."

Rei's face darkened at the name.

"It's hard to control someone with that much power," Orochimaru sighed. "But it can be done."

"That's the problem," Rei said. "Hinata is one thing. But this is something I wish I could do for myself. Otherwise it's meaningless."

"Does it really matter how he breaks, as long as he breaks?" Orochimaru asked. "Look how weak he was before, just from his chakra being drained. I would never have known he was a threat. But from what little you've mentioned, I gather that it was his emotions that allowed you to slip in, not the weakness of his body."

"He's the Kazekage again," Rei said bitterly. "What can I do to break that spirit?"

"Things like that take time," Orochimaru chuckled. "But first, we'll take his strength from him. He'll be your new toy, with or without a broken spirit. Then we'll see what comes out of it."

The sound of something cutting through the air hit Rei's ears, and then the sound of something rolling across the floor. The headless body of the girl slumped in the shadows of the room.

"After all," Orochimaru said. "It's times like this that we figure out who we really are with others."

* * *

He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest, and that dark, wild presence behind him. Neji stood as still as he could, his white eyes focused ahead of him. Gaara's darker copy stood behind him. Directly behind him… his breath gently hitting Neji's long, dark hair.

Suddenly Neji dashed forward and leapt into the air, turning midway so that he could see the evil incarnation of Gaara below him. The sand was already after him, and right before it overtook him he spun his body like a top and created a burst of twisting chakra around him. His Kaiten blocked the sand, and his chakra immobilized most of it, causing it to crash back to the ground. Neji landed safely on a high rock on the mountainside. But the sand wouldn't let up. It was coming from all directions now, and evil Gaara wasn't moving otherwise.

Neji blinked, remembering years back when his teammate had fought Gaara in the Chuunin exams. Avoiding the sand wasn't the answer. He had to attack the source.

Evil Gaara showed little surprise when Neji twisted his body around an airborne column of sand and actually ran down the length of it until he got back to the ground. Neji then ran at him and moved so fast he was a blur, and sometimes it appeared he just wasn't there. But in the span of a couple seconds, Neji had executed sixty-four perfectly placed hits on his body. In an instant the sand fell to the ground, Gaara's chakra cut off.

Neji backed away a good distance, his senses still alert. And it was a good thing… because the dark Gaara smirked at him, and seconds later there was a landslide from the mountain side. He had shifted the sand under the rocks. And now both of them were standing in harms way as boulders came flying down towards them.

Neji gracefully dodged what he could and then ran away from the mountainside, getting himself out of harm's way. But he felt a presence behind him. The evil Gaara was coming.

Once out of the way of the rocks Neji turned and prepared to fight again.

"Don't you learn?" Gaara smirked. "Your tricks won't work on me."

Neji took a deep breath. His attack was perfectly executed to halt Gaara's chakra, and yet it didn't make a dent. He'd have to think of something else. He focused on Gaara with his Byakugan again. He looked closer than he had when the fight began. What he saw there… he didn't like.

"What's wrong?" evil Gaara smirked darkly.

The sand burst out of the ground and wrapped around Neji's arms and legs. Neji had felt it coming and had tried to flow his chakra to disrupt it, but he found himself trapped anyway. He blinked and ejected chakra out of the points of his body that needed to be freed, but there was no effect. He couldn't have jumped because there was sand in the air waiting for him. He calmly stood there thinking of a solution.

"No, enough of that," evil Gaara said walking forward. "That thinking of yours. Nothing good comes out of it." He stood face to face with Neji and commanded the sand to slowly wrap around his throat. "Your resistance made me happy," he said softly. He leaned forward and licked from the side of Neji's neck, up his jaw, and over his ear.

"You're self aware and claim to be a part of the Gaara I know," Neji said calmly, ignoring the tongue trailing over his skin. "What are you? The Gaara from this world should be dead. And even if he wasn't, he wouldn't think he existed as a part of someone else."

"I told you," the evil incarnation said as he moved his hands up Neji's chest. "I am him, and he is me. And together, we are Gaara."

"How do you share existence with each other?" Neji asked, keeping his mind focused.

"He is Gaara, as Gaara truly is," the other replied. "But I shared his existence, for a time. And when people spoke to Gaara they were speaking to me. When they interacted with me it meant speaking to him. Together we are one."

Neji met his eyes, fearlessly. "Shukaku…." he murmured. "You're Shukaku… Gaara's demon…."

The darker Gaara smirked. "You dare use my name so simply," he smiled. "Such a brave boy." His hands were still moving over Neji's body. "I was inside of him. I was one with him."

"You're an illusion," Neji said. "Shukaku is not here. You're just a dreamed up imitation, which is why my eyes can't truly focus on your energy. And which is why you don't share half of the wickedness that Shukaku embodied. You're simply an echo… a sliver of what Gaara was under Shukaku's influence."

"Will it matter what I am if I can hurt you enough?" the other chuckled. "I exist now. How or why or in what form does not matter." He tightened the sand around Neji slightly.

"So you're lonely?" Neji asked looking down at him calmly. "Your existence was so dependent on him for so long that you… or even this illusion of you… can't bare to be without it. But then why not take him? Why not bring me here?"

Gaara looked unaffected by his words, he leaned and brushed his lips against Neji's. "Stupid, oblivious child," he muttered.

Neji was suddenly pulled against the ground by the sand so that he was lying on his back with this arms and legs being held in place. He tried to use his chakra to break free, but in this illusion world, it was no use. The same rules weren't applying, no matter how real it seemed. Because even for this world, this Gaara broke the rules. His existence… this echo-like, illusionary existence… had some mystery that Neji hadn't solved yet. His power was too much like Shukaku's, except without Shukaku present. It was as if this incarnation's will was enough to make him unbeatable.

Some of the sand around them rose out of the ground in very thin pillars. They rose until they formed long, thin, needles. Neji didn't like where this was going.

Gaara's form stood over him, but it wasn't the Gaara he knew staring down at him so wickedly.

"I told you I was going to hurt you," he smirked. "Scream for me?"

One of the long needles came down and stabbed Neji through one of his hands. He visibly flinched but took a deep breath and bore the pain. Soon the second came down through his other hand. And the whole while evil Gaara stood there, getting more and more excited. Two more of the enormous needles came down and stabbed Neji through the shoulders, two more through his thighs, and then one through his stomach and another through his chest. None of them caused anything life threatening for the moment. But it was painful. Neji was breathing hard, his chest heaving. His blood was spreading across his uniform.

"Not a sound?" Gaara said, sounding disappointed. He reached over and one by one, started to pull the needles out very, very slowly. Neji shut his eyes as the blood started to flow even more. He was burning all over, and the parts that had started to numb were on fire again. His chakra was wildly churning, slamming into the Gaara look-alike, but he was having no affect. He grew more frustrated. He was used to surprises in his job, but not an enemy that so completely defied what he knew should be true. And he knew he should be having an effect.

The so-called Gaara took his time, and the needles were finally drawn out, but the sand still held his victim in place. He knelt between Neji's legs and pulled out a kunai, tearing away Neji's clothes and revealing his torso. He lowered his head and started to lick the blood away, trailing his tongue over every drop, getting more excitement than he should out of the taste. He went from naval to stomach, stomach to chest, and then when he was done there he licked across Neji's lips with the blood still on them.

"You still aren't screaming," he smirked down at Neji, who was still breathing heavily but otherwise keeping his composure. "You resisted just like I wanted you two. And now I can break you," he bit Neji's lower lip and then looked down at him again. A larger needle than the rest rose out of the ground. "I'll just have to put a hole through this pretty body of yours," he said as he ran a hand over Neji's well-toned torso. "And then I'll fuck the wound. Feel your blood on me. And if you don't scream I'll cut a hole through your throat, and do the same thing there."

"Sounds kinky," Neji said as calmly as he could between breaths.

Gaara grinned wildly and took the large needle in his hand, holding it over Neji's chest.

"I wonder," Neji spoke up, "How a dream would do against another dream? Because dreams have a logic unique to them…. So even if you break my logic, could you break your own?"

Dark Gaara rose a questioning brow, but only a second later he sensed incoming danger. He leapt out of the way before several sharp ice formations surrounded Neji, angled in just the right way to cover him and stab straight through Gaara's body. As soon as he leapt clear the sand let Neji loose, and the ice burst into tiny, harmless flakes. A figure jumped between Neji and Gaara's evil double, standing defensively.

"Don't move," Haku said, staring straight at the double. "Or I will be your opponent."

* * *

The real Gaara was worried, thinking about Neji being taken by his evil double. That double had hinted to Shukaku, and although the possibility of it being the real Shukaku was low, it was still enough to put him on edge. He sat against the wall of the metal cell, thinking. He thought it might be a little insulting to Neji to be worried when he was so powerful, but he also knew how powerful Shukaku was. He sighed deeply. Would it be wise to wait for Neji to find him, or should he attempt to break out now and find the others himself? Neji's Byakugan gave him the advantage either way when it came to tracking them down. He would be fine no matter what Gaara did.

Right when he stood to execute a plan, he heard a noise. He looked around to see the vents and the looking space on the door sealed completely. Air tight. Would they try to suffocate him?

Suddenly the walls lit up with glyphs and symbols. Gaara studied them and narrowed his eyes. This had been banned by all the countries in his world. To be found using this technique was a certain act of war. Full body chakra seals, not unlike the small seal on Neji's forehead or the seals used to stop curse techniques. But this would devastate any ninja, and was often done improperly, which meant permanent damage.

Gaara looked around quickly. He didn't know whether to stand in the middle of the room and take the full force of the sealing, or to stand in the corner and try to minimize it. If he stood in the middle there was a better chance that it would be done properly, and that maybe it could be undone. If he stood in the corner, he might minimize the affects, but then if it were done improperly his entire body could suffer from a botched seal. He weighed his options as he studied the glyphs, which were lighting up and forming all over the walls of the square room. He couldn't imagine the man-power it would take to create this many seals or how many people Orochimaru was sucking chakra from.

Taking a deep breath, he ran to the middle of the room. The glyphs gave off a burst of light, and soon every symbol around him flew to the middle of the room as though he had sucked them right off of the walls. He grit his teeth as the painful technique hit. The symbols massed themselves and collected and got smaller and smaller. They collected at seven points on his body, forming a small seal there. From the top if his head the seven seals formed a line down the center of his body. He really, really didn't like where the last one landed.

When the room was dark again, the lights came back up and the vents opened. He felt weak, but it felt as though the seals were done properly. He knew things like this could be reversed with time. He was never taught how because he had been the victim of the Shukaku seal. He doubted Neji knew either. But he knew it was possible to reverse it.

He almost cursed himself for not breaking out sooner. He should have known that Orochimaru would be more clever than to think he couldn't get out of he wanted to.

Suddenly the door flew open and Orochimaru walked in. "Good, you chose the middle," he chuckled. "Sometimes people take the corners and it always leads to problems. Some can no longer walk, some are blind, and others, well… you can imagine what happens when the lowest seal messes up."

Gaara stood up slowly and took a deep breath, remaining calm.

"Well," Orochimaru said, "We should go. Now that your powers are depleted we can put you to better use."

Three large ninja came in and unchained Gaara, then pulled him out of the room. He was pulled from the lower jails and made to walk through the village and then out of it. They walked through the forest for a long time until they came to a large mansion. Somehow Gaara knew that the others were here. This was working out better than he could have hoped.

Or so he thought.

He was yanked through the halls and pulled up to one of the rooms. The door was thrown open and he was thrown at someone's feet. He looked up to see Rei, who looked just as surprised that he was there as he felt to be there. Gaara was starting to wish they had kept him in that jail.

An arm reached around Gaara and a cloth with odd fumes coming off of it was placed over his nose and mouth.

"How do you want him?" was the last thing Gaara heard Orochimaru ask Rei from the doorway.

* * *

When Gaara woke up he groaned, getting extremely tired of waking up in odd, inconvenient, or just ridiculous situations. He tried to move, but took a good long look at himself. He immediately tried to will himself to pass out again.

He was seated against a wall so that he could sit upright. His wrists were handcuffed in front of him, and his knees were bent up because of a device that was cuffed to his ankles. It was a long bar that forced him to keep his legs spread apart. As if all of this wasn't bad enough, the only item of clothing he had on was a very short skirt. His brow twitched, and he really hoped, for the sake of his captors, that this was a nightmare. Because this deserved death.

The door swung open and Rei walked in, closing it behind him. Gaara realized this was Rei's bedroom.

"You can't be serious," Gaara tried to say, but it came out as a series of muffled sounds. Oh yes, of course. A ball gag. Could it get more cliché?

"You know," Rei smirked, "You hear about these things, and yet it's usually so ridiculous that you assume no one really does it." He walked forward and admired the view. "But what better way to make someone feel humiliated? The skirt is a nice touch, wouldn't you say?"

Rei started laughing, and Gaara started plotting his immediate death. And if anyone attempted to rescue him now, he was sorry to say he might have to plot their immediate deaths as well.

Rei walked over and pulled at a leash that was around Gaara's neck. He pulled hard, and Gaara's body was still weak, so he came toppling forward face first. Now his cheek was pressed to the floor as his ass in the air. He had to keep his legs bent and he couldn't bring them together because of the bar. As soon as he had his strength back, sealed or not, Gaara vowed Rei would wish he'd never been born.

"You know," Rei grinned. "I never got the best look at this view. When you begged me to fuck you in the past it was always so rushed." He ran a hand under the skirt over Gaara's backside. "But now, I can take all the time I need."

Gaara was blushing furiously and he knew it. But he couldn't stop it from happening. He was still pissed off about the skirt. At this point he'd take the rest, just not the skirt. Of all the embarrassing, moronic--

"While it would be fun to humiliate you further by sticking anything I could find in this room up that tight little ass of yours," Rei smirked darkly, "We both know that I was never one for foreplay. Before you woke up I saw to it that you'd be leaking lube for days."

Rei kneeled behind Gaara, his crimson robes making a soft sound that contrasted his rough movements. Gaara shut his eyes and tried to relax. After all, he had done this with Rei before. It would probably feel the same. It couldn't be anymore painful than it had in the past. But he slowly opened his eyes as Rei started his slow entrance into his body. Unlike before, Gaara didn't want this…. He wanted no part of this. He didn't want Rei inside him, on him, or anywhere near him. The past was a mistake… and this was just rape.

Rei grabbed and thrust into him and Gaara shut his eyes again. He was happy that Rei cut his hair. He didn't have to feel that familiar hair brushing against his skin anymore. But even if those long strands were still there… Neji would never make him feel this injustice. Maybe it wouldn't be familiar after all.

Gaara's cheek painful dragged against the floor a bit. He could feel his saliva leaking onto the floor beneath him. His knees were starting to hurt.

And Rei was looking down at him, triumphant. The Kazekage has been reduced to this: His bitch. He watched closely as he entered and then sank into Gaara's body again and again. The domination he felt was undeniable. Orochimaru was right. As long as he had him, what did it matter how it came about? Gaara was bent over for him, and he had complete control over whatever pain or comfort he felt. Looking down at Gaara right now was nothing short of a victory for him.

Rei grabbed the leash beside him and roughly pulled it back. Gaara automatically had to bring his cuffed arms forward to support his upper body on his forearms. Rei held the leash tight was he fucked him, nearly cutting off his air if he made the effort to lean too far forward.

And for a time Orochimaru listened from the other side of the door in his usual amusement. "Violation comes in so many forms," Orochimaru chuckled to himself. "Who is to say when it's wrong? There is such a fine line between pain and pleasure."

--To Be Continued--


End file.
